The Telugu Desam Party (TDP,) alleged the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) of using digital modes of transactions for bribing the voters, ahead of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Varla Ramaiah, the General Secretary of the TDP, lodged a complaint against the YSRCP with the Election Commission of India (ECI.) According to the complaint, the YSRCP leaders are using various accounts on Paytm to transfer money to the accounts of the public to gain their votes.
Varla Ramaiah said, Jagan Mohan Reddy, the President of the YSRCP, Prashant Kishore, Jagan’s advisor, and Vijender and Ramu P, senior YSRCP leaders, are handling the Paytm accounts and doing the transactions.
Bribing the public to gain votes is a common method of trying to win the elections.
Political parties contesting the elections use various illegal political activities, such as distributing gifts, money and liquor to people, to garner the votes of the public.
The parties mostly target the people of rural areas and help them with money, liquor and other things, based on their needs, and ask for votes in return.
Political parties spend a huge amount of money for campaigning in various ways, such as social media ads, public rallies and roadshows.
According to the India Transparency Report, Andhra Pradesh ranks first in terms of the money spent by political parties on advertisements.
In terms of the number of advertisements run, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ranks first with an amount of Rs. 1.21 crores for 554 advertisements, whereas the YSRCP ranks 2nd with an amount of Rs. 1.04 crores for 107 advertisements.
The TDP has spent Rs 1.48 crores on 89 advertisements, in collaboration with two consultancy firms, Pramanya Strategy Consulting Private Limited and Digitant Consulting Private Limited.
The INC stands at the 6th position, spending Rs. 54,100 on 14 advertisements.
The report is based on the advertisements published on platforms such as Google and YouTube, since the 19th of February to date.
The ECI deploys officers in all the States to ensure the polls are conducted smoothly and to keep an eye on the parties and their campaigns.
The investigative agencies also stay alert and ensure time to time searches are carried out at the properties of politicians, especially those contesting the respective elections.
Andhra Pradesh will contest a total of 175 seats and 25 seats in the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections respectively. The elections in the State are scheduled on the 11th of April.
The major parties contesting the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are the YSRCP, the JanaSena Party and the TDP.
The results of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be declared on the 23rd of May 2019.
Stay tuned for further updates about the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections.