The actions of the returning officer for Andhra Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections are coming under scanner. It is known that two rebel candidates of Congress party, Chaitanya Raju and Adhala Prabhakar Reddy entered the fray defying the orders of Congress High command. However, Congress is trying all its might to remove them from the elections. It has threatened MLAs to get disqualified in case they support Rebels and also sent their observers to compel Rebels out of the race. When nothing worked, Congress is getting the work done by Election commission.
The returning officer had asked rebels for written letters of supporting MLAs to validate their nomination. Botsa Satya Narayana locked some MLAs in his chamber and asked them not to leave with out his permission till EC’s dead line is over. On the other side, yielding to the pressure, 8 MLAs supporting Chaitanya Raju and 8 MLAs supporting Prabhakar Reddy announced their withdrawal of support. Political analysts say EC is working hand in glove with Congress to save embarrassment.
