Trouble for YSRCP MLA Ramakrishna Reddy; ECI asks police to take action for damaging EVM

Amaravati: Election Commission on Tuesday directed the Andhra Pradesh police chief to take strict criminal action against a ruling YSRCP MLA who was caught on camera damaging an EVM in the Macherla assembly constituency during the May 13 polls.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged on May 13 in seven polling stations in Macherla constituency, including in polling station number 202 where local MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy allegedly damaged an EVM.

“In Macherla Assembly Constituency, EVMs were damaged in seven polling stations including the PS no (polling station number) 202 where this incident of damage of EVM by the sitting MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy was recorded in the web camera,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena’s office said in a statement.

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Considering the gravity of the matter, the poll body took a serious view of this development, directing the CEO to inform DGP Harish Kumar Gupta to take strict criminal action against all the persons involved.

Palnadu district election officials have provided the footage of these incidents to the police to assist them in the investigation.

“As reported by the police, the name of the MLA (P Ramakrishna Reddy) has been included as accused during the investigation,” it said.

Further, the Election Commission called on the police to take stringent action against all the persons involved in the EVM damaging cases to make an example out of them so that "nobody in the future dares to take any such action to interfere into the peaceful conduct of polls".

The southern state witnessed poll-related violence at several places in the districts of Palnadu, Tirupati, and Anantapur.

Polls for Lok Sabha and Assembly in Andhra Pradesh were held on May 13.

DGP launches cordon and search operation:

Andhra Pradesh police have launched state-wide cordon and search operations to maintain law and avert post-poll violence.

Under the supervision of district superintendents of police (SPs), DGP Harish Kumar Gupta instructed the police to carry out cordon and search operations at important traffic intersections, villages outskirts, suspicious persons, old criminals' residences, shops, haystacks, and others.

"Police are also zeroing in on caches holding illegal liquor, weapons, explosives, drugs, and unaccounted items and vehicles, among others," said the DGP in a statement.

Between May 18 and 20, police identified 301 sensitive places across the state, and seized 1,104 unaccounted vehicles and around 900 litres of liquor.

Police are also taking strangers and suspicious persons into custody for questioning.

Of the cases filed on the eve of the May 13 election, police identified 1,522 persons and arrested some of them while a few more have been served with notices under CrPC Section 41. Also, police identified 2,790 persons in cases filed on polling day and another 356 subsequently to execute similar formalities.

Further, police opened history sheets against 85 of the identified persons and also applied the Preventive Detention Act against three persons.

The DGP urged people to inform the police against any nefarious activities on 112 or 100. The state witnessed poll-related violence at several places in the districts of Palnadu, Tirupati, and Anantapur.