Khammam (Telangana): Ahead of the Telangana Assembly elections, the Income Tax (IT) Department officials raided the residence and office of Congress candidate and former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. The move came on a day when Reddy is scheduled to file his nomination papers.
The IT officials conducted a raid on Reddy's residence and office in Nandagiri Hills in Hyderabad and Khammam at around 3 am today. Officials came in eight vehicles and searched the premises. Also, his mobile phones were seized.
Officials searched Reddy's Raghava Construction at Nandagiri Hills in Jubilee. They went through some documents pertaining to his business activities and inquired about the cash transactions that he had made in the recent months. Officials also asked for his IT returns documents.
While the raids were being conducted at his residence, a huge crowd of Congress supporters gathered there staging a protest. They shouted slogans against the BJP and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and held them responsible for the raids. The Congress supporters alleged that the raids are aimed at taking revenge on Reddy.
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Reddy had resigned from BSR and had joined the Congress a month back. He has been fielded from Parelu seat in Khamman district and is set to file nominations today.
He has already expressed his apprehension about a raid being conducted at his premises while speaking to reporters on Wednesday. He had apprehended that they may have to go through difficulties ahead of the elections. Reddy is the co-chairman of the Congress campaign committee.
Telangana will go for polls on November 30 and the counting of votes would be held on December 3. Apart from Telangana, polling would also be held in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram.
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