Has Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu sensed his defeat in the elections within two hours of the polling on Thursday?
It was evident from the way Naidu went on shooting letters to Election Commission complaining about EVMs, demanding re-polling in several constituencies and alleging that voting for TDP is being recorded as voting for YSRC in EVMs.
Soon after casting his vote at Vundavalli, Naidu said he would file a review petition in Supreme Court over counting of slips in at least 25 per cent of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in every assembly constituency.
He expressed serious concern over reports of failure of EVMs across the state and said he had been expressing apprehensions over the vulnerability of EVMs to tampering.
“I have been advocating the usage of ballot papers instead of EVMs, which can be tampered. At least now, it should have a rethinking on conducting the polls with ballot papers,” he said.
YSRC general secretary S Ramakrishna Reddy pointed out that the apprehensions of Naidu clearly indicated that he was losing the elections.
“Naidu came to power in 2014 through manipulations, but he has failed to make use of the opportunity given to him. He betrayed the people’s faith,” he said.
He said the body language of Naidu clearly indicated that he was losing power. “The people already decided to bid adieu to Naidu. It is time for him to retire,” Ramakrishna Reddy said.
