Former minister Botsa Satyanarayana's family suffered a setback in Vizianagaram district. On Saturday, after scrutiny, the returning officer rejected the nomination of Botsa Chaitanya, his brother's son, who had filed as the YSRCP candidate for the Pusapatirega mandal ZPTC seat.
Why it was rejected
Jana Sena leaders complained to the returning officer that Chaitanya is registered as a voter in Vizianagaram city, not in Pusapatirega mandal. They argued that this breaks the rules. After scrutiny, the officer announced that the nomination was rejected.
What the YSRCP says
The YSRCP accused the returning officer of acting arbitrarily and said the nomination was filed as per the rules. District president and former MP Bellana Chandrasekhar led party lawyers in an appeal to the District Collector. Chaitanya's candidacy now depends on the Collector's decision.
In Guntur, YSRCP leader and former minister Ambati Rambabu alleged that the State Election Commission has become CM Chandrababu Naidu's "puppet". He said party nominees were stopped from filing and their papers were torn in front of police. Coalition leaders have also complained to the SEC about the nomination process. Naidu said people do not welcome those who commit crimes and rowdyism.
The nomination count
- 51,902 nominations for 9,829 MPTC seats and 5,724 for 659 ZPTC seats.
- MPTC: TDP 22,013, YSRCP 20,556, Jana Sena 4,609, BJP 1,150.
- ZPTC: TDP 2,078, YSRCP 1,815, Jana Sena 679, BJP 255.
