Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has termed as ‘disturbing’ the Election Commission’s action cutting short the election campaign in West Bengal by a day and has said that the poll panel’s integrity is at stake.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief said it was disturbing to see prompt action by the EC on a complaint by the BJP and its President Amit Shah in West Bengal while conveniently ignoring the complaints of the Trinamool Congress.

“It is even more disturbing to see the conspicuous inaction of the EC regarding the complaint of 22 political parties of the opposition to validate EVM counting with the counting of at least 50 per cent VVPAT slips in each Assembly constituency,” Naidu tweeted.

The TDP President said giving clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and taking unjustified prompt action after false complaints were made by the BJP and wilful inaction on genuine complaints by opposition parties raised doubts about the neutrality, impartiality and fairness of the Election Commission.

“It’s high time the ECI acts on the complaints made by opposition parties to restore its credibility and fulfil its constitutional mandate of conducting free and fair elections. The institutional integrity of the EC and integrity of the democratic process of elections is at stake,” Naidu added.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday strongly condemned the violence “perpetrated” by the BJP in Kolkata on Tuesday.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief alleged that after desperately trying to destabilise the West Bengal government through the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department, the BJP was now resorting to direct violence which shows its true colours.

“Vandalising the statue of a great reformer like Sri Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is an indication of the pseudo-nationalism practiced by the BJP. This incident underlines the need for all the opposition parties to stand united against the destructive tactics of Amit Shah-led BJP,” Naidu tweeted.

The TDP leader, in his tweets in Telugu, alleged that Amit Shah during his rally in Kolkata used vandals to create violence. He said in the past people of the country saw how Narendra Modi used Amit Shah to create hatred among people in Gujarat.

He said in West Bengal where BJP has no strength, the party is trying to create disturbances targeting a senior woman leader like Mamata Banerjee and maligning her government.

The annual party festival of Mahanadu is not being held this time on May 28 as the TDP leaders would be otherwise busy with the national level politics. Now, film critic Kathi Mahesh has directed his trademark sarcasm at TDP failure to conduct Mahanadu on the birthday of party founder NT Rama Rao. He is asking whether TDP is accepting its defeat by not holding Mahanadu.

TDP youth wing hit back at Kathi reminding that Mahanadu comes after May 23 results and the fear of defeat will not arise. Kathi made similar comments against Pawan asking where is the question of being indifferent to defeat when there’s no chance to win. Now the only mainstream party not attacked by Kathi is the YCP. Analysts are doubting whether Kathi has got soft corner for Jagan now.

There’s no clarity yet on who will be the prime ministerial candidate for the UPA-3 alliance. Even AP CM Chandrababu Naidu has no immediate clue. He may be having his own calculations. His urgent goal is to bring together the top leaders of all the 21 parties. This should take place before the announcement of results in order to prevent Modi from having any undue advantage. Now the question is whether Naidu will be successful or not in his bid to form a fully functional UPA-3 before May 23 counting.

The real test to Chandrababu lies in convincing top leaders to discuss and work together despite their conflict of interest. These leaders include Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal who need to be convinced. These national leaders are not easy to deal with as they have their own respective party priorities. Naidu has to walk a tight rope now. If an agreeable PM candidate is not announced, the UPA-3 will face serious identity crisis. The political atmosphere is very favorable for anti-Modi parties as of now. But any small mistake on their part would be greatly helpful to the BJP, which is skillful in last-minute manoeuvres and manipulations.

AP CM Chandrababu Naidu asked what is the use of VVPAT slips if they are not counted for tallying with the electronic readings of EVMs. He said that all the 21 parties would respect the judgement of the Supreme Court which dismissed their demand for counting 50 per cent VVPAT slips. But at the same time, Naidu asserted that they would continue their struggle for bringing transparency in the counting of votes. There should be correct systems to ensure the credibility of the entire polling process.

Chandrababu said that there was a lot of public awareness now on the need for proper polling and counting methods. In future, there would be more public pressure for greater transparency. Naidu said that the VVPATs were introduced only to increase trustworthiness of EVMs but unfortunately the Election Commission is not making effective use of them. Over Rs 9000 crore were spent to acquire VVPATs and all this money is now a wasteful expenditure. He said that staff shortage is just an excuse of the EC to avoid bringing more transparency.

AP CM Chandrababu Naidu passed deep observations on the ongoing general elections in the country. He says that the entire country is now realising that Modi is not coming to power. It’s being felt going by the voters’ mood all over. The numbers are not going to come out in favour of the BJP anymore.

Naidu says that the changing equations have forced two regional parties to change their stand towards the BJP. He has refused to give names as it would endanger the future prospects of the anti-Modi post-poll alliance. This has triggered speculation among political circles whether these two are those of the Federal Front formed by Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao. KCR is known for his open political opportunism. His Federal Front agenda is also aimed at securing his party position regardless of which party comes to power at the Centre. KCR’s partner Jaganmohan Reddy is forever at the mercy of whoever is there in power at the Centre. If a non-BJP coalition government is formed, Jagan is expected to change his stand and use his political influence to safeguard his party and his personal interests. In Odisha, there’s a bitter rivalry between the Biju Janata Dal and the BJP. Moreover, Naidu has spoken to CM Navin Patnaik several times recently.

Gearing up to take on the attitude of the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of local body polls in Andhra Pradesh, chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said that he would convene Cabinet meeting within a week. ECI and the central government are creating blockages for administration in the state and I don’t allow this to happen, said Naidu.

“The TDP government has been elected by the people of Andhra Pradesh and it has full-fledged powers. We’ll hold Cabinet meeting within a week and also visit the Polavaram project to review the progress. We’re ready for local body polls. We demand VVPATs in Municipal elections as well. If there’s a mismatch between EVM and VVPAT, then all the VVPAT slips in the constituency should be counted. If there’s still a mismatch, then EC has to take what should be done. A paper ballot will only ensure transparency in the elections,” maintained Naidu.

Naidu interacted with the media after participating in ‘Praja Vedika’ at Undavalli on Friday. Naidu has further recalled that VVPATs have been introduced in the country as a result of his efforts as he has been fighting against EVMs for over a decade.

“I also moved Supreme Court against EVMs. Responding to the SC, the EC informed that it would take six days for counting VVPAT slips. Later, the SC gave a direction to count five per cent of EVM votes and five per cent of VVPAT slips,” added Naidu.

Criticising the appointment of Chief Secretary by the EC, Naidu said that it’s a different situation in Andhra Pradesh. “Generally, the CS would go to the chief minister and explain about the administrative plan and issues. But, the CS in AP is in the opposite direction. I once again caution that I don’t spare the irresponsible officials,” remarked Naidu.