BJP urges EC to advance Visakha-I repoll

Visakhapatnam, Mar 1 (UNI) The BJP in Andhra Pradesh today urged the Election Commission to advance the repoll in the Visakhapatnam-I Assembly constituency saying the 25 days' time would again lead to large-scale malpractices by the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party.

The Election Commission yesterday countermanded the bypoll in the entire constituency, held on February 19, after a two-member probe team found large-scale malpractices like distribution of money and liquor to lure the voters and misuse of official machinery by political parties. It fixed March 25 as the date for re-poll.

Addressing a press conference here today, BJP, city unit President Bandaru Ranga Mohan said the Congress and the TDP would again misuse the extended time and indulge in malpractices.

The EC's decision, ordering a repoll for the first time for the entire constituency was a moral victory for BJP as it was the only party which demanded a re-poll, before the EC inquiry team, while the other two major parties had demanded an early counting of votes.

BJP candidate, S Kasi Viswanatha Raju came down heavily on TDP's claims that it was their moral victory. ''TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, demanded that Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy step down as the Congress had indulged in irregularities. However, TDP too indulged in malpractice as TDP workers and sympathisers were caught with a large amount of cash while distributing it to voters the day before the election, he said.

''We should thank the EC, which has given a second chance to voters to elect a clean person belonging to a responsible party,'' the BJP leader said and urged the EC to ensure a free and fair polling.

Regretting that the educated and elite did not bother to come out of their homes to vote on the polling day, he called upon them to exercise their right and choose the right candidate.

He hailed the media for exposing the misdeeds of both the Congress and the TDP, which was mainly responsible for the EC's historical decision.

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