Decode Politics: Why an EC order has sparked a Jagan Reddy-Chandrababu Naidu slugfest in Andhra

As temperatures soar, a political firestorm has erupted in Andhra Pradesh over the Election Commission’s (EC) directive to the Andhra Pradesh government to stop deploying village and ward-level volunteers to disburse pensions under the YSR Pension Kanuka scheme to the doorsteps of beneficiaries.

Directing the government to make alternative arrangements for the disbursal of pensions, the EC on March 30 directed volunteers to hand over all their phones or tablets that have the details of beneficiaries till the Model Code of Conduct is in force. It passed the order based on a plea by the Citizens for Democracy, an NGO run by former State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, and various media reports.

From Tuesday, the government started disbursing the funds at the village and ward sachivalayams (secretariats). The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday refused to overturn the EC order.

The ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has accused the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of trying to “play with the lives of people by stopping welfare schemes” and making them queue up in the heat to receive their money. On Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy called TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu a sadist for orchestrating the complaint to the EC. The Naidu-led Opposition party has dismissed the allegations and accused the Jagan government of financial irregularities.

In 2019, the Jagan government introduced a social security scheme under which village and ward-level volunteers are tasked with doorstep delivery of money to senior citizens, single women, widows, weavers, toddy tappers, fishermen, traditional cobblers, and artists. While these beneficiaries are entitled to Rs 2,250 per month, people with disabilities are