The TDP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against a vernacular daily and satellite channel, alleging that they are publishing and telecasting paid articles/news.
TDP secretary (office coordination) T.D. Janardhan Rao, in a letter addressed to the ECI on Sunday, said they lodged a number of complaints to the election authorities against the newspaper and channel.
The election authorities, however, hadn’t taken any action against the said newspaper and channel for publishing/telecasting paid news and articles. The stories published/telecasted were false and baseless, and aimed at defaming the TDP, he alleged. The ECI should consider the published/telecasted stories as paid articles.
“The ECI has to calculate the amount and treat the same as election expenditure of YSR Congress Party candidate, and initiate appropriate penal action against the concerned,” he said.
YSRCP complaint
Special Correspondent in Kurnool writes:
The YSRCP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission on Sunday urging it to initiate action against a television channel which put forth an election survey violating the EC’s orders barring surveys and opinion polls, YSRCP Official Spokesman Ambati Rambabu said.
Alleging a bid to influence the voters by telecasting a survey favouring the ruling party, Mr. Rambabu said in Nandyal that the people had decided to vote for YSRCP and it was evident by the poor turnout at Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s campaign.