The Central government might keep a tab on the activities of village and ward volunteers during the ensuing by-election to Tirupati parliamentary seat in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on April 17, if one were to believe Bharatiya Janata Party state unit president Somu Veerraju.
Veerraju told reporters in Tirupati that he had lodged a complaint with the Centre to send a team of special officers to supervise the electioneering in Tirupati parliamentary constituency, particularly to keep a tab on the functioning of the village volunteers’ system.
“The Centre has clear reports from the intelligence sources as well on the misuse of village and ward volunteers to lure the voters in every election held so far. It will now keep a watch on this system so that the volunteers would not work for the victory of the ruling party,” he said.
The BJP leader alleged that the Jagan government had been wasting public money to the extent of Rs 310 crore on this volunteers’ system.
“During the recent municipal elections, the ruling YSR Congress party indulged in distribution of money to the voters through ward volunteers. They also threatened the voters to stop extending welfare schemes to the voters, if they did not vote for the YSRC,” he alleged.
Veerraju said if the BJP came to power in the state in the next elections, it would do away with this village volunteer system and create a separate system that would help extend the benefits of welfare schemes to the people.
He said the BJP would also complain to the Election Commission of India against the officials of the panchayat raj and revenue departments who openly supported the ruling party in the local body elections.