YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP Maddila Gurumoorthy and former minister Gudivada Amarnath on Sunday, 25 October alleged that police personnel and election officials in Andhra Pradesh have colluded with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders to suppress opposition participation in the ongoing local body elections. The allegations, made at Tadepalli, describe a structured racket in which uncontested victories are reportedly being sold to TDP candidates for ₹40 lakh to ₹50 lakh each.

What YSRCP Alleged

Gurumoorthy, the Lok Sabha member from Tirupati, alleged in a post on X that an 'election mafia' is operating openly under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's government. According to his account, TDP leaders physically obstructed YSRCP candidates from filing nominations, threatened and attacked them, and reportedly tore up nomination papers inside Returning Officers' chambers. Police, he alleged, stood as 'silent spectators' throughout.

'This nexus is collecting ₹40 lakh to ₹50 lakh from each TDP candidate in return for securing an uncontested victory, turning the electoral process into a money-making operation under Chandrababu Naidu's government,' Gurumoorthy said in his post.

How the Alleged Scheme Operated

According to the YSRCP leaders, election officials allegedly rejected opposition nominations on minor technical grounds and through what they described as 'manipulated scrutiny procedures.' The funds collected from each candidate were then purportedly distributed among police personnel, election officials, and others facilitating uncontested wins. Former minister Gudivada Amarnath described the arrangement as an 'organised nexus' linking political, police, and administrative actors.

'Instead of facing the voters, TDP candidates are securing uncontested victories through a process surrounded by intimidation, manipulation and serious financial irregularities,' Amarnath said. He argued that the financial scale of the alleged operation reflects the depth of the suspected corruption.

Demands Made by YSRCP

Both leaders called on Chief Minister Naidu to publicly account for the conduct of the police and election machinery under his administration. Gurumoorthy specifically demanded that the State Election Commission order an independent investigation into the money trail, disputed nominations, and the official conduct surrounding the local body polls. 'Is this his model of democracy, where opposition candidates are prevented from contesting and uncontested victories become a source of income for a political and official nexus?' Amarnath asked.

Context and Significance

The allegations come amid a politically charged atmosphere in Andhra Pradesh following the TDP's return to power. Local body elections are often flashpoints for allegations of administrative bias in states where the ruling party commands significant sway over district and municipal machinery. This is not the first time YSRCP has raised such concerns since the change of government; however, the specific financial figure and the claim of collusion inside Returning Officers' chambers add a new layer of gravity to the accusations. No response from the TDP government or the State Election Commission had been reported at the time of publication. The Election Commission's next steps — and whether it orders the independent probe YSRCP is demanding — will be closely watched.