Date:31/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/31/stories/2008053153180400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Naidu for updating voter lists

G.V. Ramana Rao

Foul play in deletion of voters’ names, says TDP president

— PHOTO: CH.VIJAYA BHASKAR

Baby sitter: TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu holds a little girl at Penuganchiprolu in Krishna district where he unveiled a statue of party founder NTR on Friday.

PENUGANCHIPROLU (Krishna Dt.): Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu has demanded that the Election Commission launch a special drive to update all voter lists before the next general elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mr. Naidu said that the EC should concentrate on updating the voter lists, as the names of voters belonging to some communities and those in TDP strongholds were being deleted in a planned way.

“I don’t know if the officers are incompetent or doing it on purpose, or doing it at the behest of Congress leaders,” he wondered.

No action

He said the instances of names of voters missing that had come to light in Thursday’s byelections was just the tip of the iceberg. At many places, the officials were unable to provide the voter lists, Mr. Naidu pointed out. The TDP had taken the issue of deletion of voters names in Guntur district and also in Vijayawada to the notice of the Election Commission, but nothing had happened, he alleged.

Launching an attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the TDP chief alleged that Dr. Reddy was actively encouraging the murder of TDP activists in Kadapa district. This was encouraging others to murder TDP activists, and in Kadapa political murders had made a mockery of democracy. In the latest instance, TDP activist Y. Ramakrishna Reddy was done to death by Congress activists, he alleged.

Mr. Naidu unveiled half a dozen statues of TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao in different villages in Jaggayyapet Assembly constituency. He said that if his party was voted to power in the next general elections, a corporation would be established for the development of the poor among forward communities with a corpus of Rs. 3,000 crore. A budget allocation of Rs. 2,000 crore would be made for schemes for the uplift of the poor among forward classes and they would also be given loans on 1 per cent interest.