AP Panchayat Elections: BJP Offering Rs 5K For Votes In Kavali in Desperate Bid To Win

Reports of the Saffron party's desperate attempt to gain existence and woo voters by paying money in the upcoming Panchayat Elections to be held in Andhra Pradesh have come to the fore.

As per reports, in the Kavali constituency in Nellore district, there are 63 panchayats under Kavali, Alluru, Bogolu and Dagadarti mandals, where 386 candidates have filed nominations for sarpanch posts and 1,617 candidates filed nominations for 636 wards. Most of the candidates who filed nominations are BJP supporters and completely new to politics. They also have no support locally.

There are allegations that the BJP leaders are distributing bundles and are keen on paying more than Rs 5000 per vote. It is said that in the Lakshmipuram panchayat in Kavali mandal , the local villagers  were being forced to take money even when they refused. Apparently the BJP leaders placed cash amounting to Rs 1.24 lakh on their cots while they were sleeping. The irate villagers filed a complaint and handed over the said amount to the election  authorities there.

Lakshmipuram is the hometown of BJP district president Gundlapally Bharatkumar, which is in the Nellore-Prakasam district border. On the night of January 31, Bharatkumar's family members went to the house of a person whose names were on the voter list in the tribal colony of the village and paid Rs 5,000 per vote. When the sleeping tribals woke up they refused to take the money, but the BJP leaders forcibly left cash on the beds in their houses.

Despite refusing, the tribals were shocked when BJP leaders told them that they would give them Rs 10,000 if they did not take the money. Not Knowing what to do further they reported the matter to the  authorities on Wednesday. The police and revenue officials reached the tribal colony in Lakshmipuram village, received a complaint from them and seized the cash.