The Election Commission, in a recent move, has reprimanded YSRCP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy along with opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu for breaching the regulations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) through the usage of derogatory personal remarks against each other in public speeches during the election campaign in the southern state.
In response to the violations observed, the Election Commission has specifically called out Reddy for his attacks on Naidu where he used terms such as 'habitual offender', 'rogue', and 'sadist', even portraying Naidu as a villainous character from Tollywood movies. Similarly, Naidu was criticized for his comments on Reddy, branding him as 'venom spewing', 'mayala fakir' (evil movie character), and 'fake fellow', contributing to the escalated verbal hostilities between the two political figures.
Acknowledging that both leaders did not deny the accusations of using such derogatory expressions and have persisted in such behavior, the Election Commission has issued directives to Reddy and Naidu to exercise caution in their public statements moving forward, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a decorous political dialogue.
With elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh slated for May 13 and the counting of votes scheduled for June 4, the Election Commission aims to ensure that all political figures adhere to the MCC regulations to uphold a standard of respectful and responsible political discourse.