YSRCP MLA Slaps Voter; EC Takes Serious View, Keeps Lawmaker Under House Arrest

YSRCP MLA A Siva Kumar slapped a voter waiting in queue in Andhra Pradesh's Tenali Assembly constituency. The latter retaliated by slapping the legislator. Siva Kumar who is seeking a re-election from the same seat on a YSRCP ticket is seen setting up his accomplices on the voter. The injured voter and the legislator, both have lodged a complaint with the polling officials, seeking action against each other, in connection with the incident

Tenali (Andhra Pradesh): A ruling YSRCP MLA slapped and then attacked a voter when the latter resisted the legislator's attempt to jump the queue to cast his vote at a polling booth in the Tenali Assembly Constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

Taking a serious view of the incident, the Election Commission ordered that YSRCP MLA Siva Kumar to be immediately placed under house arrest and he has been at home till the polling is over. The victim voter was identified as Gottimukkala Sudhakar and the attack took place at Aitanagar Errabadi polling station in Tenali town on Monday morning.

YSRCP Tenali MLA Annabathuni Siva Kumar, who is also the party's contesting candidate in Tenali seat, became enraged upon being asked by the voter to stand in queue.

The MLA vented his anger by attacking the voter, who immediately slapped the legislator back. A video of the entire incident was widely shared on social media. It showed the MLA clad in white, and accompanied by his workers and aides, slapping the man, who immediately slaps him back.

The moment slaps were exchanged, an elderly woman waiting for her turn to vote with other elderly voters and an elderly man in that queue tried to pacify the duo. The legislators tailing him leaped towards the voter and rained blows on the latter. As the fisticuff escalated, the video showed the elderly, including one who had come with the support of a walker fleeing to safety.

The MLA's party beat up the voter left, right and centre, in full public view. One of the purported aides of the MLA clad in blue hurled a volley of punches at the voter, who by that time had been mobbed, and must have been grievously injured given how many were hitting him at the same time.

Gottimukkala Sudhakar, who was seriously injured in the attack by MLA Annabathuni Shivakumar, was taken to Two Town police Station by the police. Sudhakar was seriously injured in the attack. Local public and TDP leaders strongly objected to the injured Sudhakar being taken to the police station instead of being taken to the hospital for treatment and instead of taking action against the MLA. There were criticism that the voter was kept in the police station without allowing him to meet anyone for almost four hours.

While it was not clear what had exactly happened before the exchange of blows, the MLA was widely criticised for attacking the voter.

"Terrible arrogance of power!" wrote one X user KP Singh.

Another user Gopinath Mahankali pointed out at the man in blue shirt in the video. "That blue shirt shouldn't be allowed to see the outside world after June 4th," the user wrote.

Both the MLA and the voter involved in the sensational slapping incident made complaints to the polling officials. The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has complained to the Election Commission, seeking steps to halt the 'goondaism' of the ruling YSRCP in the ongoing poll.

Janasena candidate Nadendla Manohar is contesting in the Tenali Assembly constituency on behalf of the NDA alliance. The main fight is between NDA and YSRCP here.

Andhra Pradesh recorded 40.26 per cent voter turnout for the 25 Lok Sabha seats while it was the same for the 175-seat Assembly at 1 pm in the state, according to the Election Commission's application.

Read More