TDP’s Saga Of Bogus Votes

Telugu Desam Party supremo Chandrababu Naidu is an expert in adding bogus votes to the list, deleting the votes of opposition supporters, shifting the location of polling centres, attacking people from SC, ST and Backward Castes while they are about to exercise their right to vote, observers say. They point out that in this election too he realised that he is not going to win and is resorting to backdoor methods to cling to power.

Here are the other instances, from the past:

Chandrababu came to power in 1999 after forging an alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party. Meanwhile, opposition parties, Congress and Left parties were not sure of the result and complained to the Election Commission. Opposition parties even studied the voting patterns in villages, mandals and found out that Chandrababu rose to power with the help of bogus votes. Later, EC revealed that in other states the voter percentage was 62% to 68% and in AP, it was 72.5%. Analysts say that this high percentage had put a question mark back then, but it was not probed effectively. A point which was highlighted was the shifting of polling stations especially the booths where SC, ST and poor sections of the society are majorly present. These booths were shifted to newly constructed school buildings in the areas where the community supporting TDP is present in large numbers.

Nandyal By-elections:

During the Nandyal by-elections it was reported that 16,000 votes went missing. Voters, who turned up at the polling stations took to protest when their votes went missing. Opposition party leaders even reported that votes of YSRCP supporters had been deleted.

Way back in 1999 the number of voters in the state was 5.49 crores, a total of 54,00,000 people applied for their right to vote. Meanwhile, half of them were found to be bogus. In Hyderabad out of 7,88,417 applications received 4,38,000 were bogus. In other districts including Chittoor, Krishna and Guntur many bogus votes were found. It was learned that Chandrababu had advised party workers to protest if votes are deleted calling them bogus. AB Vajpayee sent BJP MPs to the Election Commission to protest. Finally, EC deleted 64,53,000 votes and 28,86,00 applications were rejected. Close to 10 MROs were suspended in the issue.

In Narasaraopet constituency 2,24,602 were present when the total population was 2,98,360. This issue was later reported to the Chief Electoral Officer.

In Turakapalem village of the constituency 99% (population - 837, voters - 836) of the population were recorded as voters and likewise in Kandlagunta 80%, Yallamanda 93%, and Korlagunta 89 % of the population were recorded as voters.

In Kandukur constituency bogus voters were identified according to the villages and a complaint was lodged with the EC. However, after making 11 rounds around the office the complaint was registered, the officials cited lack of evidence as the reason for not registering a case.

One of the candidate's family had 22 members, but the record claimed 80 votes from the single family. This was verified and 1,270 votes deleted from Pokuru village.

It is was reported that TDP leader Kodela Sivaprasada Rao is an expert in the getting away with bogus votes. Way back in 1999 elections, when one his opponents Kasu Venkata Krishna Reddy filed a complaint with the EC regarding the presence of a large number of fake votes in the constituency to JM Lyngdoh Chief Election Commissioner back in the day who ordered EC commissioner KJ Rao to look into the matter. 64,53,000 fake votes were deleted by EC in the state then.

Other such instances:

The collector of the Kandukur constituency deleted 33,000 votes after observing the records and 36,000 votes in Kondapi.

EC found out that in Serilingampally 1,51,00 votes were present of the 1,56,000 population present.

In house number 1061, MIG colony, near BHEL, Hyderabad 105 voters were registered when the house had only four rooms in it.

In Nalgonda district, even the school children were given the right to vote.

In Bhimavaram 115 votes were registered on an address (27-17-55/1) and 11 applications were received. After inquiry, the authorities came to know that only four people live in the house.

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