Bode Ramachandra Yadav Demands Fresh Nominations Across AP Municipal Bodies

Bharat Chaitanya Yuvajana (BCY) Party president Bode Ramachandra Yadav has demanded fresh election notifications for all municipalities, municipal corporations and nagar panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, calling for the nomination process to be restarted across the state. He has also urged the State Election Commission to introduce an online nomination system to prevent alleged irregularities and ensure greater transparency in local body elections.

In an open letter addressed to State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha on Thursday, Yadav expressed concern over the conduct of the local body election process. He said questions had been raised not only over 19 municipal corporations, concerning which the YSR Congress Party had reportedly approached the courts, but also over more than 100 municipalities and nagar panchayats.

Yadav alleged that candidates had faced several obstacles while filing their nominations, including the tearing of nomination papers, refusal to accept applications and the alleged misuse of police and revenue officials. He argued that such incidents had undermined public confidence in the electoral process and required serious scrutiny by the election authorities.

Calling for introspection by the State Election Commission (SEC), he said the poll body must take appropriate action against alleged violations. Its failure to address these complaints could fuel criticism that it was favouring the ruling party, he cautioned. Following the Supreme Court's intervention, which temporarily halted the election process, he said the commission must address previous complaints transparently rather than overlook alleged irregularities.

Yadav maintained that suspending elections or allowing fresh nominations only in selected areas would not be enough to guarantee a level playing field. He stressed that impartiality must be maintained throughout the process, from nomination filing to polling, vote counting and the declaration of results.

Questioning the continued reliance on physical nomination papers, he argued that digital procedures should be introduced in line with the wider adoption of online services. He proposed a dedicated portal through which candidates could file nominations and upload B-forms online, reducing opportunities for obstruction and interference.

The Bharat Chaitanya Yuvajana Party has also demanded that the online nomination system be extended to Mandal Parishad, Zilla Parishad and gram panchayat elections. Yadav urged the SEC to exercise its statutory and constitutional powers to prevent the misuse of official machinery and safeguard democratic principles.

He said free, fair and transparent elections must take precedence over political interests, adding that restoring public confidence in the electoral process should remain the commission's priority.