Election flying squad spoils TDP’s freebie plans

Kurnool: BJP leader TG Venkatesh and his son TG Bharath, candidate from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to win the Kurnool assembly seat in the upcoming elections. Despite losing in the previous two elections in 2014 and 2019 to the YSR Congress Party, they are employing various tactics to woo voters.

One such tactic, which has raised eyebrows, is the distribution of freebies like sarees among female voters. Despite the Model Code of Conduct being in effect in Andhra Pradesh, TDP supporters were caught distributing bundles of sarees to voters. The election flying squad confiscated nearly 975 sarees worth around Rs 2 lakh from the premises of Victory Theatre, where the sarees were hidden.

The TDP's actions come amid allegations that the party did not deliver on development promises during its tenure in power. As a result, its leaders are now attempting to sway voters through a ‘special manifesto’ and the distribution of freebies.

TDP candidate Bharath is resorting to the distribution of freebies to lure voters. The local TDP unit had appointed activists in areas like Erraburju, Bongul Bazaar, Nehru Road, and Minchin Bazaar to distribute sarees and slips to voters. 

Acting on a tip-off, the election flying squad conducted a surprise check at the Victory Theatre and seized a total of 975 sarees from the premises. Meanwhile, the Returning Officer Bhargav Teja asserted that the Model Code of Conduct must be strictly followed, and action will be taken against those who attempt to influence voters through illegal means.

TG Bharath is going to polls without any major support as the Lucky-2 family, once a backbone of the TDP, is now with another party, while corporator Mounika Reddy, who was supportive of the TG family, resigned from the TDP and her corporator's post.

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