T'gana EC declares poll process in Gaggallapalli MPTC poll

The Telangana State Election Commission Saturday declared as void, the election process so far held in Gaggallapally Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency in Nagarkurnool district on charges that the Congress candidate was offered a bribe to withdraw. The Commission had asked the district officials to send a factual report in the wake of media reports on the issue.

In a notification, the EC said the Collector and District Election Authority, Nagarkurnool, had sent a detailed report to it on the events that occurred in the election, "alluding to abuse of force/influence/money power, leading to the withdrawal of the candidature of Dodla Venkat Narayan Reddy, the Congress candidate." Reddy, who filed a complaint, has alleged that he was offered a bribe of Rs 10 lakh to withdraw from the election. Dodla Eshwar Reddy (of TRS), the lone candidate remaining in the fray, alleged that the complainant approached the District Election Authority only as a result of the protest by supporters of the Congress, according to the notification.

The Commission decided to declare the election process held so far as to void as the process was vitiated by illegal activities of bribing. The EC had last month issued a notification to conduct MPTC and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections in three phases in the state.