AP police teams on hunt for YSRCP MLA who damaged EVM

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena on Wednesday said police teams have been formed to look for 'absconding' YSRCP MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy who vandalised an electronic voting machine (EVM) at a polling centre in Macharla constituency of Palnadu district.

The CEO said police raided Reddy's residence this morning, but he was not found there. "His (Reddy) house was raided in the morning. He was not found, so several teams are now moving around to arrest him," Meena told media.

On May 13, Reddy, who is Macherla Assembly constituency candidate of the ruling YSRCP allegedly barged into a polling station and smashed the EVM. The entire act was caught on a web camera installed by the Election Commission, leading to his identification with footage and documentary evidence.

On Tuesday, the Election Commission directed Andhra Pradesh police chief Harish Kumar Gupta to take stringent criminal against the MLA. According to the Election Commission, EVMs were damaged at seven polling stations in Macherla constituency alone on the polling day.

Meanwhile, Meena noted that Reddy has been named as accused number one (A1) in the case registered after verifying the footage under 10 stringent sections. Taking serious note of the incident, the poll panel has questioned local election authorities as to why YSRCP Macherla assembly candidate was not arrested yet, including issuing immediate arrest orders. "EC has said that such incidents are very shameful... the intention is to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections, but when the candidate (Reddy) himself indulges in such an act (then) it is a very serious matter," added Meena.

According to visuals aired on some TV channels, a convoy of vehicles belonging to the MLA was found abandoned near Kandi on the outskirts of Hyderabad.