Jagan to move Supreme Court again over ‘obstruction’ of YSRCP nominees in Andhra local body polls

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday (October 23, 2026) said the party would approach the Supreme Court again with fresh evidence, alleging that its candidates in the local body elections were still being obstructed through intimidation, attacks, rejection of nominations and forged withdrawal letters. He also released a book, with photographs, documenting the alleged incidents.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s central office in Tadepalli, Mr. Jagan alleged that the situation had not improved despite the Supreme Court’s intervention over complaints that YSRCP candidates were prevented from filing nominations. He questioned whether the State Election Commission (SEC) and the police were implementing the court’s directions in letter and spirit.

The former Chief Minister said the party had approached the Governor, the SEC and the Supreme Court with evidence of alleged electoral irregularities. The TDP has accused the YSRCP of distorting the Supreme Court’s order, and the State government told the court that the opposition itself contributed to the disturbances.

Limited relief

Mr. Jagan said the opportunity for re-nominations in several municipalities did not adequately address the alleged obstruction of candidates across the affected urban local bodies. In Rajampet municipality, which has 32 wards, the YSRCP could contest in only 14 wards, according to him. He said candidates were initially able to contest in just three wards and that permission for re-nominations in another 11 wards had not enabled the party to field candidates in the remaining 18 wards.

He also questioned the decision to permit re-nominations in only 11 of the 66 wards in Kadapa. With candidates already able to contest in two wards, the party would be in a position to contest in only 13 wards, he said. In Tirupati, the opportunity was limited to the remaining 18 wards, while in Mydukur, it covered all wards, he added.

The SEC on October 22 extended the nomination process in these four bodies till October 24, after finding that some willing candidates had been intimidated or attacked, or had their papers torn.

Mr. Jagan asked why the authorities had not extended the facility to all constituencies where candidates had allegedly been prevented from filing nominations. He alleged that selective relief would leave large sections of the electoral contest effectively uncontested.

He said the Supreme Court had called for the examination of complaints, documents and electronic evidence, deferred the final list till October 25 and directed police protection and security at nomination centres. Mr. Jagan urged the SEC to obtain the party’s complete list of candidates, along with the A and B forms issued by it, and ensure that the nominated candidates were given an opportunity to contest. He said the list could also be placed before the High Court and the Supreme Court if necessary.

Incidents cited

Mr. Jagan alleged that the obstruction took several forms, including summoning candidates to police stations, threatening them, placing them under preventive restrictions or arresting them in advance, confining party leaders to their homes and preventing candidates from entering nomination centres.

He further alleged that nomination papers were snatched and torn in the presence of officials, that candidates subjected to attacks were removed from nomination centres, and that cases were registered against victims and those assisting them. Other alleged irregularities included rejection of nominations during scrutiny, forged signatures on withdrawal papers and pressure on candidates to withdraw from the contest.

Citing specific incidents, Mr. Jagan alleged that a YSRCP candidate, Nagamani, in Ward 51 of Nandyal municipality had her signature forged to make it appear that she had withdrawn her nomination after it had initially been accepted. The TDP candidate was subsequently declared elected unopposed in the ward, he claimed.

In Nagari, he alleged that the nomination of YSRCP municipal chairperson candidate Balakrishna had been accepted and an acknowledgement issued, but the TDP candidate’s name alone appeared in the final list.

He also alleged that YSRCP MPTC candidates in Gorantla were prevented from contesting after a TDP leader snatched and tore their nomination papers inside an election officer’s room. In Chittoor district, the car of former Deputy Chief Minister K. Narayanaswamy was allegedly damaged.

Other incidents cited by him included an alleged attack on a candidate going to file a nomination in Dharmavaram, the tearing of ZPTC nomination papers in Vikotamandalam and an attack on YSRCP candidate Bellamkonda Narendra Chowdary in Chilakaluripet.

Mr. Jagan further alleged that women leaders of the TDP tore the nomination papers of a candidate from G.D. Nellore at the Chittoor Zilla Parishad office. In Tadimarri, he accused the police of entering the homes of relatives of a YSRCP leader and assaulting women, including a woman who was nine months pregnant.

He also cited the cases of Sameera, a candidate in Kanigiri who allegedly pleaded with the police to let her file her nomination, and Padmavathi, a ZPTC candidate from Dachepalli who was allegedly attacked and subjected to an attempt to pull at her sari. In Punganur, Dalit woman candidate Kamalamma was allegedly attacked and her nomination papers snatched. Mr. Jagan also alleged that police threatened Indiramma, the YSRCP’s municipal chairperson candidate in Jammalamadugu, by showing her a gun.

Nomination figures

Mr. Jagan also questioned what he described as a sharp discrepancy between the difficulties faced by candidates on the ground and the increase in nomination figures reported by the election authorities. According to figures cited by him, MPTC nominations had increased by 547% in a single day, while ZPTC nominations had risen by more than 468%. He alleged that the numbers required scrutiny in view of complaints that genuine candidates were being prevented from filing their papers.

He claimed that TDP workers had filed purportedly false nominations in the names of YSRCP candidates in Kondapuram, Mylavaram and Vemula. He questioned how nominations could be treated as genuine without the A and B forms required to establish a candidate’s authorisation to contest on behalf of the party.

MPTC, ZPTC polls

He extended the allegations to the MPTC and ZPTC elections, claiming that no MPTC nominations had been filed in 101 of the State’s 659 mandals and that fewer than five nominations had been filed in another 70 mandals. He said the nomination process for ZPTC elections remained pending in 227 of the 659 mandals.

Mr. Jagan also alleged that scrutiny had been used to eliminate opposition candidates in several urban local bodies. He named Dachepalli, Kanigiri, Badvel, Rajampet, Proddatur, Gooty and Nagari among the places where, according to him, chairperson candidates had been removed during scrutiny. He said candidates had been prevented from filing nominations in Gurazala, Piduguralla, Darsi, Rayachoti, Kamalapuram, Yerraguntla, Mydukur and Punganur.

He claimed that in 15 of the 23 urban local bodies, the electoral contest was proceeding without a YSRCP chairperson candidate, either because nominations had allegedly been obstructed or because candidates had subsequently been disqualified.

‘Shakuni’s dice’

Mr. Jagan contrasted the alleged restrictions on opposition candidates with the performance of his government, saying the YSRCP had implemented 95% of its manifesto promises and won in 86% of the constituencies it contested after presenting its record to voters. He accused the present government of creating obstacles to elections amid public questions over the implementation of the TDP-led coalition’s Super Six and Super Seven promises.

Invoking the Mahabharata, he compared the alleged manipulation of the electoral process to ‘Shakuni’ using dice to influence the outcome of a game. He accused the ruling party of using official machinery to shape the contest rather than seeking a verdict from voters.

He also recalled that the YSRCP government had provided 50% reservation for women in local bodies and said allegations of attacks on women candidates during nominations raised serious questions about their safety and political participation.

“If the government has done good work for the people, it should seek votes by presenting that record. Why obstruct nominations and influence elections through intimidation?” he asked.

Mr. Jagan demanded that the SEC, the Director General of Police (DGP) and district-level officials ensure that all eligible candidates could file nominations without fear, and that complaints and supporting evidence be examined comprehensively. He warned that failure to address the alleged irregularities at the nomination stage would raise concerns about the conduct of polling itself, and said voters, rather than administrative restrictions or intimidation, should determine the outcome of the elections.