Andhra Pradesh: YSRC MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy caught on camera damaging EVM; ECI orders ‘strict action’ | Watch

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday directed the Andhra Pradesh police chief to take strict criminal action against a ruling YSRCP MLA who was caught on camera damaging an EVM in the Macherla assembly constituency during the May 13 polls.

As reported by PTI, the Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged on May 13 in seven polling stations in the Macherla constituency, including in polling station number 202, where local MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy allegedly damaged an EVM.

“In Macherla Assembly Constituency, EVMs were damaged in seven polling stations including the PS no (polling station number) 202 where this incident of damage of EVM by the sitting MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy was recorded in the web camera," said a statement from Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena’s office late on Tuesday.

The ECI statement said, “As reported by the police, the name of the MLA (P Ramakrishna Reddy) has been included as an accused during the investigation."

Considering the gravity of the matter, the poll body took a serious view of this development, directing the CEO to inform DGP Harish Kumar Gupta to take strict criminal action against all the persons involved.

Further, the ECI called on the police to take stringent action against all the persons involved in the EVM damaging cases to make an example out of them so that “nobody in the future dares to take any such action to interfere into the peaceful conduct of polls".

District election officials in Palnadu have given the police the footage of these incidents to aid their investigation.

On May 13, witnessed election-related violence across several locations in the districts of Palnadu, Tirupati, and Anantapur. The state conducted simultaneous Lok Sabha and