Violence, group clashes, murder rock Andhra Pradesh on polling day

The brisk polling in Andhra Pradesh for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats was marred by violence and group clashes between supporters of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the opposition YSR Congress party (YSRCP) at several places across the state resulting in the death of a TDP activist.

TDP worker Siddha Bhaskar Reddy was killed after he sustained injuries in a clash with the YSRCP activists at Mirapuram in Tadipatri Assembly constituency of Anantapur district. Reddy was critically injured in the clash near a polling booth and succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital, the police said.

Similar incidents of group clashes have been reported from Sidda Ramapuram and Anapa villages in Anantapur district.

In another incident at Sattenapally in Guntur district, the State Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao and his gunman were heckled and manhandled allegedly by YSRCP workers. The Speaker’s shirt was reportedly torn by the attackers at a polling centre in Yanametla village.

Group clashes were also reported from Kurnool, Prakasam and Chittoor districts, the police added.

A local YSRCP leader Matta Raju was attacked allegedly by TDP workers at a polling station in Eluru of West Godavari district. In another incident at Narasaraopet constituency in Guntur district, TDP candidate Aravindu Babu was allegedly attacked by YSRCP workers.

In a case of vandalism, a Jana Sena Party candidate Madhusudan Gupta was arrested for allegedly damaging an EVM in the Guntakal Assembly constituency of Anantapur district. In a fit of rage, he reportedly threw the EVM on the floor because the names of the Assembly and Parliament constituencies were not displayed properly on it.