BJP's Raghunandan Rao demands arrest of BRS candidate Venkatarami Reddy over bribery allegations in Telangana polls

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 18 (ANI): Medak Lok Sabha BJP candidate Raghunandan Rao has called for the immediate arrest of Medak BRS MP candidate Venkatarami Reddy, citing serious allegations of misconduct and bribery during the recent Telangana Assembly elections.
Rao met with Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Ravi Gupta to present a representation demanding action against Reddy.
Rao highlighted that former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Radhakrishna Rao, who was arrested on March 29, 2024, for his involvement in a telephone tapping case, confessed to deploying a Sub-Inspector (SI) at the Rajapushpa construction company. According to Raghunandan Rao, the company, allegedly acting on behalf of the BRS party, collected large sums of money under police escort, which was then used to influence the Assembly elections in 2023.
Raghunandan Rao questioned the DGP on the lack of action against Venkatarami Reddy despite clear evidence from DCP Radhakrishna Rao and SI Sara Sai Kiran, who reportedly escorted the money. "Is there any instruction from Revanth Reddy, or are you not arresting him just because Venkatarami Reddy is related to Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy? Is the law not the same for all castes and communities? When an IPS officer can be remanded, why can't an IAS officer be arrested?" Rao asked.
The DGP responded that this information had just come to his attention and assured that appropriate action would be considered.
In addition to his meeting with the DGP, Raghunandan Rao also approached Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj, demanding action against Venkatarami Reddy. He presented a case registered at the Chegunta police station alleging that Venkatarami Reddy instructed people to distribute money to voters, with each voter receiving 500 rupees.
"I met the Telangana election officer, asking him to take appropriate action against BRS leader Venkatarami Reddy. A case was registered against him in Chegunta police station. The facts of the case are that Venkatarami asked the people to send the money to each and every booth and distributed 500 rupees to each voter. Out of 637 voters, they distributed money to 80 percent voters that comes to 509 people. All the six BRS MLAs all encouraged their cadre to distribute the money," Rao told ANI.
"Police is supporting BRS party only. How can they allow the BRS MLAs to distribute the money? All this information we have given to SP Sangareddy, SP Medak and even to the CP of Siddipet. No police responded in a proper way," he added.
The accusations made by BJP leader Raghunandan Rao come amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country.
Raghunandan Rao is pitted against BRS MP Venkatarami Reddy and Congress candidate Nilam Madhu Mudiraj in the Medak Lok Sabha constituency.
The elections for the Medak Lok Sabha constituency were conducted on May 13 in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)