Shaikpet: Drunk Techie's Reckless Driving Leaves Woman Injured

Hyderabad: One ordinary evening took a tragic turn for D. Swati when she became a victim in a car accident caused by a driver, who under the influence of alcohol. He has been identified as P. Kranti Kumar, a 30-year-old techie residing in Pragati Nagar, had consumed alcohol at the Social Bar in Jubilee Hills before starting towards the Shaikpet flyover. The police say he went to the bar alone around 08:30 pm and stayed there for more than 3 and a half hours before starting his journey. Despite the bar management stopping him from leaving due to his intoxicated state, he still proceeded to start his journey, sources said. The victim identified as D.Swati 25 a hosteller in Hafizpet was traveling to Rayadurgam, had her life turned upside down by the reckless actions of him, had collided with multiple vehicles along the road before hitting her, involving cars, autos, pedestrians, and three bikers, all falling victim to the his dangerous driving. Expressing dismay over the incident, Swati's friend, P. Shyamul, lamented, We were on our way to DLF when the accident occurred. Swati, who hails from Vijayawada, had recently embarked on her career in the city, serving as a beacon of hope for her family. The news of her accident has left them distraught. Swati received treatment at KIMS Hospital and was subsequently discharged, he added. Kumar's blood alcohol level was found to be high, surpassing the legal limit by a considerable margin. Consequently, the Rayadurgam police arrested him and charged him with serious offenses. Detailing the sequence of events, Rayadurgam Inspector CH. Venkanna said, The incident occurred when Kumar was traveling from the Cyberabad Commissioner's office towards the Shaikpet flyover. Despite the concerns raised by fellow commuters, he persisted in his reckless course until his vehicle came to an abrupt halt on the flyover, averting a potentially catastrophic outcome. Amar Konkanti, a social activist, emphasized the responsibility of bars in ensuring the safety of their patrons, calling for stringent action against establishments that neglect their duty, thereby jeopardizing innocent lives. The authorities are currently investigating the potential liability of the bar in question, while Kumar remains in custody awaiting further legal proceedings, the police said.

Guntur-Pagidipalli Block to Disrupt Trains

Vijayawada: Due to a traffic block on the Guntur-Pagidipalli section, eight trains have been cancelled, one diverted and another train rescheduled on April 30 and May 6. Trains 07779 Guntur-Macherla, 07790 Macherla-Guntur, 07580 Macherla-Nadikudi, 07579 Nadikudi-Macherla, 17646 Repalle-Secunderabad and17645 Secunderabad have been cancelled on April 30. Trains 07791 Kacheguda-Nadikudi and 07792 Nadikudi-Kacheguda have been cancelled on May 6. Train 12806 Lingampalli-Visakhapatnam Janmabhoomi Express will be diverted via Pagidipalli, Kazipet, Kondapalli and Vijayawada, skipping Ramannapet, Nalgonda, Miryalaguda, Nadikudi, Piduguralla, Sattenapalle, Guntur, Tenali halts on April 30. Train 17646 Repalle-Secunderabad has been rescheduled by 60 minutes on May 6. Railway officials have requested public to note these changes and cooperate with the railway department.

Will You Bring Back Janmabhoomi Panels: YSRC asks Naidu

Vijayawada: YSRC leaders have flayed Telugu Desam and Jana Sena chiefs for their observations that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was playing a drama to win sympathy in the elections. MLA Perni Venkataramaiah said Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan were telling lies to people to win power but the public distrusts them. Addressing the media here on Thursday, he said, Chandrababu, Pawan Kalyan and BJP must say what they did for this state. All three stood together from 2014 to 2018. We have done an excellent administration with Village and Ward Secretariats and Volunteers without using the corrupt Janmabhoomi committees. Do you have the guts to say that you will bring back the Janmabhoomi Committees? Venkataramaiah said his son Krishnamurthy contesting from Machilipatnam did not speak in any derogatory manner despite getting abuses from Naidu and Pawan. He refuted allegations of Naidu that the YSRC government was not working for welfare of the fishermen community. The Machilipatnam (Bandar) port flourished during the British rule. Naidu, during his 2014-19 term, did not try to renovate the port. CM Jagan Reddy started the port works and soon the Badar port works will be completed. Naidu never honoured NT Rama Rao but Jagan saluted NTR by giving his name to a new district. He recalled Naidu promised in Machilipatnam in 2014 to start Bandar port works within six months, but he conveniently forgot the same. the public. Again, in the present elections, Naidu is holding out the same promise to cheat the public, he said.

YSRC Terms Stone Attack on CM YS Jagan as Assassination Attempt

Vijayawada: YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has claimed that the stone attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was well-planned and those behind this incident should be exposed. He launched the YSRCs LED campaign vehicles on Thursday as part of the 2024 election campaign in Andhra Pradesh. Launching the vehicles, the party general secretary said Jagan Reddys fans from the US have offered the campaign vehicles for free and the Challa Madhu team was coordinating and sending these vehicles for electioneering across the state. These vehicles would publicise the welfare and other schemes of the YSRC government in various constituencies. Ramakrishna Reddy said, NRI friends from the US have provided 13 vehicles voluntarily for campaigning. People want another five years of Jagan rule, they like the welfare and development that happened in these five years. He said the SCs, STs, BCs and Minorities are thinking that Jagan's victory is their victory. Regarding the stone attack on CM Jagan, Ramakrishna Reddy said, We still call it a pre-planned attack, both of them (Jagan and MLA Velampalli Srinivas) were hit by that stone and injured. We are lucky that a big injury or incident was avoided. Responding to the description of the stone attack as a drama by Telugu Desam and Jana Sena, Ramakrishna Reddy challenged them to play the same drama if they have guts. He refuted allegations of Naidu and other leaders of implicating TD candidate Bonda Uma in the stone attack in the Jagan case. If there is a Bonda Uma roll, it will come out and if there are others including Chandrababu, it will also be revealed in the investigations. He stressed that there was evidence to show that the attack on the CM was pre-planned and there was no doubt that the attack was an assassination attempt.

Fire mishap at commercial complex on Bandar Road in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: A fire broke out in a two-storey commercial complex housing medical and clothing outlets on Bandar Road in Vijayawada at around 7:20 am on Thursday. No one was injured in the incident. The complex's workers, who resided on the building's terrace, spotted the fire and alerted the owner, who then notified the fire services. Eight fire tenders were deployed, and efforts to douse the fire continued until 4:30 pm. Authorities say that they may extinguish the fire completely by late in the night as the firefighters are still making efforts to put out the fire. Initial reports suggest a voltage surge led to the fire. A power supply disruption early in the morning followed by a loud noise when power was restored led to the fire, authorities said. Police booked a case, and the investigation is ongoing.

Andhra Pradesh: 39 MP, 190 MLA nominees file papers

VIJAYAWADA: The election process has begun in the State with contestants of the major parties filing their nominations amid massive rallies. Prominent among those who filed their nominations on Thursday, are NDAs Y Sujana Chowdary, and Kadapa MP candidate Bhupesh Reddy of TDP, YSRC candidate for Hindupur Joladarashi Shantha, Rajampet YSRC candidate PV Midhun Reddy, TDP Lok Sabha candidate for Narasaraopet Lavu Srikrishna Devarayulu. On behalf of TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, TDP, BJP and JSP leaders submitted nomination papers at the municipal corporation office in Mangalagiri. In Nellore, YSRC candidate Nallapareddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy and TDP contender Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy filed their nominations for Kovur Assembly segment. YSRC candidate Ramireddy Pratap Kumar Reddy filed his nomination in Kavali and Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy of TDP in Nellore rural segment. TDP Chittoor parliamentary segment candidate D Prasad Rao, Challa Ramachandra Reddy of TDP for Punganur filed their nominations. G Bhanu Prakash filed his papers in Nagari, MC Vijayananda Reddy of YSRC and GC Jagan Mohan of TDP filed their nominations for Chittoor Assembly seat. According to the Election Commission, on day one of filing nominations, a total of 39 nominations were filed for parliamentary constituencies, and 190 for Assembly segments. Later in the day, addressing a press conference, Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena said the gazette notification for both Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections was issued on Thursday, which also marks the commencement of receiving nominations. As per the election commission guidelines, nominations will be received from 11 am to 3 pm at the prescribed place in the prescribed format. Scrutiny of nominations will be done on April 26, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 29. After that, the final list of candidates will be released and a ballot paper will be prepared. Election will be held on May 13 and results will be out on June 4, he explained. The CEO said the timings of the polling for all the Assembly segments except six in Araku parliamentary constituency will be held from 7 am to 6 pm. Polling will be held for Araku, Paderu and Rampachodavaram from 7 am to 4 pm and for Palakonda, Kurupam and Saluru from 7 am to 5 pm. The maximum limit of election expenditure by a candidate for a parliamentary constituency is `95 lakh and for an Assembly segment `40 lakh. The Election Commission has appointed a general observer, a police observer, and an expenditure observer for the State as special observers. Besides them, there will be 50 general observers, 18 police observers, 25 expenditure observers for parliamentary constituencies, and 50 expenditure observers for Assembly seats, he added. On voting from home, he said, according to the newly amended Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, optional facility of postal ballot will be provided to persons who are employed in essential services, senior citizens (above 85 years of age), and Persons with Disability. Before that from April 18 to 22, consent of these voters for the home voting facility will be taken. Only for those who gave their consent, this facility will be provided. They will be referred to as absentee voters. There are 2.12 lakh 85-year and above-aged voters and 5.30 lakh PWD voters in the State, the CEO added.

Over 80 mandals in AP reel under severe heatwave

VIJAYAWADA: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued a heatwave alert at isolated pockets across the State on Friday. On Thursday, the State largely experienced hot and humid conditions with daytime temperatures being above 40 degrees Celsius at most places. The highest daytime temperature of 45.8 degrees Celsius was recorded at Yerrampeta of Alluri Sitarama Raju, Komarada of Parvathipuram Manyam district, followed by 45.6 degrees Celsius at Nandavaram of Nandyal district, 45.5 degrees Celsius at Jami of Vizianagaram district, 45.4 degrees Celsius at Kovilam of Srikakulam district, Kongalaveedu of YSR district, 45.3 degrees at Renigunta of Tirupati, Darimadugu of Prakasam districts. According to APSDMA, 84 mandals in the State experienced severe heatwave conditions, while 120 mandals experienced heatwave conditions on Thursday. It is forecasted that severe heatwave conditions are likely in 91 mandals and heatwave conditions in 245 mandals on Friday. The public is advised to avoid outdoor activities during the daytime between 11 am and 3 pm. The IMD emphasised the significant risks of elevated temperatures during heatwaves, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions. Additionally, prolonged periods of extreme heat can lead to dehydration and strain key infrastructures.

Cops arrest 19-yr-old for attack on Andhra CM

VIJAYAWADA : Five days after Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was attacked with a stone at Daba Kottu Centre in Ajith Singh Nagar, Vijayawada city police arrested the prime accused and produced him before a local court on Thursday. The accused, identified as Vemula Satish Kumar, is a resident of Vaddera Colony. Principal junior civil court-cum-metropolitan magistrate court judge C Ramana Reddy remanded Satish to 14 days in judicial custody. The 19-year-old was shifted to Nellore district prison. According to police, the teenager threw a sharp-edged concrete stone at the YSRC president when the latters cavalcade reached Vivekananda School on April 13. In the remand report, police said Satish resorted to the attack with an intention to kill or cause harm to Jagan. According to the remand report submitted to the court, a case has been registered in the Ajith Singh Nagar police station on April 14 under Section 307 (attempt to murder) after Vijayawada West MLA and YSRCs candidate for Vijayawada Central constituency Velampalli Srinivasa Rao lodged a complaint. In the incident, Velampalli also sustained an injury to his left eye. Based on the investigation carried out by the police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT), a few more IPC Sections, including 120(B) and 107(2), were added to the FIR. The police submitted to the court that Satish attended Jagans roadshow along with his friends on April 13 around 7 pm. He was carrying a stone that he picked up from the Singh Nagar bridge. When Jagans caravan reached Vivekananda School junction, the accused joined the scores of people who had gathered there to greet the Chief Minister. Satish then threw the stone at Jagan with full force. As a result, Jagan and Velampalli Srinivasa Rao were injured. This is an act of target to kill or cause harm to Jagan, said public prosecutor Krishna Kishore, on behalf of Vijayawada police. CCTV camera footage, call data dump helped police nab accused The police also mentioned the role of second accused, Durga Rao, in instigating Satish to commit the offence. It has been learnt that Durga Rao, A2 in the case, has been actively participating in the Opposition TDPs election activities. He is reportedly also a close aide of former MLA Bonda Umamaheshwara Rao. Asked how Satish was traced, a senior police officer on the condition of anonymity told TNIE that advanced technology, statements of locals and clues from eyewitnesses led the investigators to the accused. Digital evidence such as CCTV camera footage and traces of call data dump also helped in the arrest of the accused. Satish was arrested from KGF apartment in New RR Pet. The same was informed to his family members. The case is still under investigation. More information on the role of other persons and their motive behind the attack needs to be collected, the police officer explained. Political slugfest escalates Criticising the Opposition leaders for terming the incident a drama, YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy sought to know, if it was even possible to fake an attack with a stone thrown from such a distance? Further, he added that TDP leader Bonda Uma cannot claim that he is falsely being implicated in the case. The role of Uma or even a more senior leader will be known during the course of the investigation, he said. TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah questioned how could YSRC leaders have known that Jagan was attacked by a stone beforehand. Varla alleged that minors were being taken into custody and were subjected to torture. Holding the Police Commissioner accountable for the incident, he asked why was the Chief Minister allowed to stand on his vehicle when there was no electricity in the area? How did the security allow this? The police commissioner should answer for this, he demanded.

A David vs Goliath battle shaping up in Vijayawada West

Day 1 sees 39 nominations for Lok Sabha and 190 for assembly seats in AP

VIJAYAWADA : As many as 39 contestants filed 43 sets of nominations for the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh on the first day of filing nominations. However, no nominations have been received on the day for Araku, Srikakulam, Amalapuram, Rajamahendravaram and Machilipatnam seats. With regard to the 175 Assembly constituencies, 190 candidates filed 236 sets of nominations on the first day of nominations in Andhra Pradesh. No nominations have been filed from Assembly seats including Palasa, Pathapatnam, Srikakulam, Narasannapeta, Rajam, Palakonda, Parvathipuram, Salur, Cheepurupalle, Gajapathinagaram, Visakhapatnam East, Visakhapatnam South, Visakhapatnam West, Chodavaram Madugula, Araku Valley, Paderu, Payakaraopeta, Tuni, Prathipadu, Pithapuram, Peddapuram, Anaparthy, Mummidivaram, Razole, Gannavaram, Kothapeta, Rajanagaram, Rajahmundry Rural, Jaggampeta, Achanta, Palacole, Narasapuram, Bhimavaram, Undi, Tanuku, Tadepalligudem, Ungutur, Chinthalapudi, Gudivada, Kaikalur, Pedana, Avanigadda, Penamaluru, Vijayawada East, Ponnur, Vemuru, Repalle, Tenali, Yerragondapalem, Addanki, Santhanuthalapadu, Kandukur, Markapuram, Nellore city, Sarvepalli, Gudur, Badvel, Rayachoti, Pulivendula, Kamalapuram, Allagadda, Nandikotkur, Panyam, Banaganapalle, Dhoni, Pattikonda, Mantralayam, Alur, Guntakal, Madakasira, Penukonda, Kadiri, Puthalapattu and Kuppam. Prominent among those who filed nominations are Y.S. Sujana Chowdhary from Vijayawada West, Nara Lokesh from Mangalagiri and Payyavula Keshav from Uravakonda.

YSRC Lodges Complaint with EC Against Chandrababu, Pawan and Ayyanna Patrudu

Vijayawada: YSRC MLA Malladi Vishnu has lodged three complaints against Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, another leader Ayyanna Patrudu and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for using abusive and objectionable language and uttering derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. He was accompanied by YSRC legal cell state president Manohar Reddy. They urged CEO Mukesh Meena to take action against these leaders. Vishnu said that even though the election rules were in force, the leaders of the alliance cared two hoots about them. The EC has already given notices to Chandrababu and Pawan Kalyan but there has been no change in them, he said. He said, Once again, in the Machilipatnam public meeting, Chandrababu called CM Jagan a psycho and Pawan Kalyan termed him Babai-Goddali which is severely objectionable. TD candidate Ayyanna Patrudu's abusive words against the CM at the Narsipatnam campaign meeting were embarrassing. A complaint has been submitted to the EC on his comments. A complaint has also been made to the EC about TDs voice messages and obscene songs.

TD yet to finalise nominees due to internal squabbles

Vijayawada : Telugu Desam faces internal squabbles and is forced to change candidates in some constituencies even as the filing of poll nominations has begun in the state. The Telugu Desam, Jana Sena and BJP that forged a poll alliance had shared the total 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the order of 144-17, 21-2 and 10-6 respectively. This was after a series of discussions between top BJP and other leaders, including Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda. However, this meant the hopefuls in the TD had to sacrifice their interests in some constituencies. Though the TD officially announced its nominee Pyla Prasad at Madugula in Anakapalli Lok Sabha segment, a proposal is on to replace him with Bandaru Satyanarayana. TD chief Naidu, during his recent visit to north Andhra districts, lashed out at Bandaru for seeking the seat and even threatening to switch loyalty to another party. There is also a proposal vis-a-vis the Anaparthy Assembly segment to replace BJPs nominee M. Shiva Krishnam Raju to accommodate TDs Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy. As for the Denduluru Assembly segment, there is a proposal to replace TDs official nominee Chinthamaneni Prabhakar with BJP candidate Garapati Seetaramanjaneya Chowdary. There seems to be no adjustment of seats except to force the official nominee to forfeit his allotted seat. Similarly, the Undi Assembly segment is also facing trouble as there are two more contestants in addition to the existing official nominee from TD and sitting MLA Manthena Rama Raju. Vetukuri Venkata Siva Rama Raju won the segment for two terms in 2009 and 2014. Raju intends to contest as an independent candidate in the upcoming polls. There is a proposal to accommodate K. Raghu Rama Krishna Raju from TD in the Undi Assembly segment by replacing the existing candidate, as Raju joined the TD recently in the presence of party chief Naidu. Political analysts say TD chief is in the habit of making last-minute changes of nominees, until the last date for filing of nominations. Some of those who have been accommodated are yet to get active on the campaign front, for fear that Naidu could change his mind at any time.

Large turnout to greet CM Jagan during roadshow in Rajamahendravaram

Vijayawada : The city of Rajamahendravaram reverberated with chants of Jai Jagan as a large number of people gathered on both sides of the road to greet Chief Minister and YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy during his Bus Yatra on Thursday. Jagan Mohan Reddy started his Memantha Siddham from his night stay point in Tetali village of Tanuku mandal in West Godavari district in the morning. He covered Tanuku, Ravulapalem, Jonnada, Pottilanka, Kadiapulanka and Vemagiri and entered Rajamahendravaram. He covered the main thoroughfares like Morampudi, Tadithota, Church Centre, Ajad Chowk, Devi Chowk, Paper Mill Centre, Diwan Cheruvu and Rajangaram and reached ST Rajapuram in Gokavaram mandal, East Godavari, to retire for the night. As the convoy of vehicles entered the city, a large number of people greeted the CM and he responded to them with folded hands and a smile on his face. When he arrived at Azad Chowk, the people cheered him. But, by then, it was past sunset and the people could not have a close glimpse of the CM. Many among the crowd hailed the CM. A private sector employee S. Srinivas said, The Jagan Mohan Reddy government came to the rescue of people infected with Coronavirus. Otherwise the death toll could have been more. Overall, Chandrababu Naidu did much less for underprivileged during his 14 years rule, compared with what Jagan Mohan Reddy did. The waiting people were disappointed when they were informed that Jagan Mohan Reddy was not going to address them at Devi Chowk Centre. One of them, K. Sai, said, YSRC would win the polls mainly because of the welfare schemes and developmental works. A section of the waiting youth were seen lustily cheering and dancing to the tunes of songs being played during Jagan Mohan Reddys visit to the city. At one point, the CM stepped down from his vehicle to talk to a family that came to meet him in an ambulance seeking help for an accident survivor. The CM talked to the patient and promised necessary help, at Madiki village. Former minister Indukuri Ramakrishnan Raju met the CM at Tetali stay point. AP Chamber of Commerce convener from Tadepalligudem, Ganinin Subba Rao joined the YSRC. Several other leaders including MRPS founder president U. Brahmadiha Madiga, Madiga Maha Sena president Prem Kumar, AP Human Rights Commissions former member G, Srinivas, Madiga Intellectual Forum representative G. Bapiraj and Dalit Sena representative Ravi Prakash met the CM.

ECI Issues Notification for AP Assembly, Lok Sabha Polls

Vijayawada : Election Commission of India on Thursday issued notification to hold general elections for both assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Accordingly, AP chief electoral officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena announced the schedule for the assembly and Lok Sabha general elections in AP at a press conference here on Thursday. As per the schedule, candidates have started filing their nominations from Thursday. The last date for filing nominations is April 25. Scrutiny of nominations will be on April 26. Last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 29. Date of the poll is May 13. Date of counting the votes polled is June 4. Date for completion of the election process is June 6. The CEO said the hours of polling are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the three assembly segments of Araku Valley (ST), Paderu (ST) and Rampachodavaram (ST). Polling hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in three assembly segments of Palakonda (ST), Kurupam (ST) and Saluru (ST). Polling will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the remaining 169 assembly segments. The ceiling on election expenditure incurred by a contestant for a parliamentary constituency is 95 lakh. For assembly constituency, it is 40 lakh. The CEO said the ECI has appointed 50 general observers, 18 police observers and 25 expenditure observers for parliamentary constituencies and 50 expenditure observers for assembly constituencies. With regard to voting from home, there is an optional facility of postal ballot for persons employed in essential services, senior citizens (above 85 years), persons with disability and Covid-19 affected persons. As many as 12,459 polling stations have been identified as critical polling stations. Webcasting is planned in 30,111 polling stations. Mukesh Kumar Meena said with regard to enforcement of model code of conduct (MCC), 7,336 FIRs have been filed pertaining to seizures and 501 FIRs are related to usage of vehicles, loudspeakers, irregular meetings, inducements and other violations of norms. As many as 8,681 licensed arms have been deposited and 15 NBWs are pending. Electoral violence has so far claimed one life, injured 69 persons and damaged properties worth 5.29 lakh. cVIGIL has received 12,006 complaints, 93 per cent of which have been resolved within 100 minutes. Seizures from March 16 to April 17 with regard to cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, freebies and other items are worth 12,191 lakh. 1,017 volunteers have been removed from service while 44,163 volunteers have resigned. Number of FIRs filed against political leaders for MCC violations are 126 against TD, 136 against YSRC and 76 against others, the total being 338 cases.

Big breakthrough: Main accused arrested in CM stone attack case

Vijayawada: In a major breakthrough, the Vijayawada police on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old in relation to Saturdays stone attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, which left him injured on the forehead. The accused was Vemula Satish Kumar alias Satti, a resident of Vaddera Colony in Ajith Singh Nagar. The Principal Junior Civil Judges Court remanded him to 14 days custody after the police produced him in court in the afternoon. Notably, names of several Telugu Desam-linked persons, including its Vijayawada Central Assembly seat aspirant Bonda Umamaheshwara Rao, had been in circulation in recent days about their suspected involvement in the attack. The police did not mention Umamaheshwara Rao or others in the remand report. On Thursday, arguments were made in the court on behalf of both sides. Abdul Salim, counsel for Satish, argued that he was a minor and had no criminal record. How could the police file a case of attempted murder for an act of throwing a stone. It was brought to the attention of the court that Section 307 was not applicable in this case. Counsel said the date of birth details given by the police and the date on Satishs Aadhaar did not match. The date of birth in the Aadhaar card should be taken into account, he stressed. A lawyer, on behalf of the police, argued that the CM was attacked with a stone. This was done with malicious intent. Attempt to murder section was applicable, he said. After hearing the arguments, the court said it would consider the certificate given by the municipal authorities regarding the date of birth. The accused was ordered to be remanded till May 2. The stone was thrown at the Chief Minister during the 'Memantha Siddham' election campaign at Vivekananda School in Ajith Singh Nagar on the evening of April 13. Satish was identified as Accused 1 (A-1), while another individual, Vemula Durga Rao, was named A-2. Satish threw the stone at Jagan Reddy under the instigation of Durga Rao, a political party activist, the remand report said without explicitly naming the TD. The report stated that Satish, under Durga Raos guidance, had intentionally hurled the stone at Jagan Mohan Reddy with the intent to harm or kill him. The police said the investigation in the case was incomplete and they were yet to examine some more witnesses, to analyse technical evidence apart from collection of some more evidence. The remand report stated that Al (Satish) was convinced by the proposal of his instigator and agreed to do the same. He implemented the plan on April 13, at 08.04 pm, by standing beside a group of people at the Vivekananda School, AS Nagar, in Vijayawada. He picked up a sharp-edged cement concrete stone from his pocket and strongly threw it at the temporal part of the head of Jagan Reddy with an intention to cause a deadly shot against him, so as to do away with the CMs life, as per the prior agreement/conspiracy (sic). The police said, Luckily the CM survived the attack. The sharp-edged cement concrete stone missed hitting the sensitive temporal part of the CMs head, and it touched a spot above the left eye of the CM. After examining all the evidence and recording the statements of 12 witnesses, we filed an attempted murder case against Satish, the police report added.

VIT Engineering Entrance Exam (VITEEE) in 125 cities in India and 6 cities abroad

Vijayawada: The VIT Engineering Entrance Exam (VITEEE) for admission to the BTech programme of the VIT Group of Institutions at Vellore, Chennai, AP (Amaravati) and Bhopal, is scheduled from April 19 to 30. The results will be available tentatively on May 3 at www.vit.ac.in and online counselling will begin the same day. The proctored computer-based test will be held in 125 cities in India and in Dubai, Muscat, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The rank-wise schedule of counselling for filling of choices is: Phase 1 (Ranks 1-20,000): May 7 and 8; Phase 2 (ranks 20,001-45,000) May 18, 19; Phase 3 (Ranks 45,001-70,000) May 29 and 30 and Phase 4 (Ranks 70,001-1 lakh) on June 9 and 10. Applicants with ranks above 1 lakh are eligible for VIT-AP and VIT-Bhopal and counselling will be held on June 20 and 21. Classes are likely to commence in the second week of July 2024. Under the GV School Development Programme (GVSDP), candidates with VITEEE Ranks 1 to 10 will be given 100 per cent tuition fee waiver for all four years; Ranks 11 to 50 will be given 75 per cent waiver; those with ranks 51 to 100 will get 50 per cent tuition fee waiver and candidates in ranks 101 to 500 would be given 25 per cent tuition fee waiver. Besides, the toppers (one boy and one girl) in all the districts of Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh who are studying in government schools in rural areas will be given 100 per cent fee waiver, exemption from hostel and mess fees under the STARS (Support The Advancement of Rural Students) scheme.

Divisional TTE rescues minor boy contemplating suicide at Rajahmundry station

Divisional TTE rescues minor boy contemplating suicide at Rajahmundry station In a heroic act, a Railway Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) on Wednesday rescued a runaway minor boy who was considering dying by suicide aboard the train Kakinada Town-Bengaluru at Rajahmundry Railway Station. The 17-year-old minor boy named Rehman, a resident of Kakinada Town, after failing in Intermediate Board Exams fled from home warning parents of dying by suicide at around 4:30pm on Wednesday. After the boy ran away from home, parents started asking local people regarding his whereabouts at Railway Station and Bus Stand in Kakinada. Licensed Porters who noticed the boy boarding the train Kakinada Town- Bengaluru at Kakinada Town Station informed the aggrieved parents upon identifying the photo. After getting the information from Licensed Porter, the boy's father Usman relayed the information to his brother residing at Rajahmundry. The Relatives of the boy approached Rajahmundry Railway Station and started enquiring for the boy with his photo. Chief Ticketing Inspector S S Chandramouli, at Rajahmundry Station after paying attention to their grievance, alerted the rest of the ticket checking staff to trace the boy on incoming Seshadri Express. Chandramouli informed the escort RPF and GRP and Rajahmundry Station RPF regarding the incident and shared the boy's photo. At 6.43 pm, as soon the train started rolling into the platform at Rajahmundry railway Station, TC Staff and Railway police started checking the General Coaches at the both ends of the train. CTI Chandramouli noticed a teenage boy sitting on the foot board of the train at Rajahmundry in S-11 Coach. As soon as the train stopped he immediately went into the Bogie and enquired about the boy regarding his whereabouts. After much persuasion, he gently took the boy to TC office on Railway Station, where the relatives confirmed and identified the boy. Upon inquiry, the boy revealed that he had run away from his home in Kakinada due to desperate consequences and was contemplating dying by sucide. TC staff and GRP counselled the boy and handed him over safely to his relatives after confirming with their parents. The boy's parents and relatives expressed their gratitude to S.S. Chandramouli, CTI and the RPF for their timely intervention, which saved their son's life. Sr. DCM Vijayawada ,Vavilapalli Rambabu praised and congratulated the Ticket Checking Staff at Rajahmundry for rescuing the minor boy. Narendra A. Patil, Divisional Railway Manager, Vijayawada Division commended the selfless act of S. S. Chandramouli, CTI, Rajahmundry for his exemplary efforts in tracing the minor boy. Narendra A. Patil, DRM said that such incidents highlights the importance of human compassion and the role of railway staff in ensuring the safety and well-being of passengers, especially vulnerable individuals like minors. (ANI)

Two nominations filed for Vijayawada Parliamentary seat

Man who hurled stone on Andhra Pradesh CM sent to judicial custody

Vijayawada: A Vijayawada court on Thursday sent a youth who had hurled a stone at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to judicial custody for 14 days. Police produced Satish before the Principal Junior Civil Judges Court, which sent him to judicial remand till May 2. Also ReadAndhra Pradesh polls: Filing of nominations Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Fire breaks out in drug store-warehouse in Vijayawada

Five labourers, who were sleeping inside the building, narrowly escape, says AP Fire Services Director

KPMG Innovation Kaleidoscope Insights Centre Inaugurated in Bengaluru

Business Wire India Ushering in a new era of collaborative innovation, KPMG in India launched its second KPMG Innovation Kaleidoscope Insights Centre in Bengaluru today. This collaborative workspace fosters a dynamic environment where KPMG people, clients, start-ups, and strategic alliance partners can engage to co-create solutions to solve dynamic business challenges. Located within its Bengaluru office in Embassy Golf Links Business Park, the Centre showcases a blend of India and Global solutions to address real-world business requirements. Business leaders will gain access to immersive experiences, valuable insights, innovative technology, and the resources needed to propel their organisations forward. The centre also displays state of art solutions in specific sectors, in sight-driven sol utions demonstrated through AR-VR devi ces, Tax Technologies, Digital solutions for ESG, and G en AI solutions across sectors and domains that will address the digital innovation needs of GCCs and clients across sectors. Speaking on the launch, Yezdi Nagporewalla, CEO, KPMG in India said, KPMG Insights Centre symbolises a dynamic environment designed to facilitate seamless communication, robust collaboration, and synergistic co-creation between our clients and teams. Our vision for this space is to equip our clients with tools and knowledge necessary to build the future. At the insights center we facilitate intersection between human intellect and cutting-edge technology and aim to drive immersive learning experiences, driving innovation, and nurturing growth. Anindya Basu, National Managing Partner, Head Advisory, KPMG in India adds, The future belongs to those who embrace innovation. By equipping businesses with the solutions and insights that are relevant to them in the ever-evolving business landscape, we can compliment them in their growth agenda. We envision that this centre will become the source for innovation, where we combine global expertise with local ingenuity to develop solutions that push the boundaries of what's possible. Bengaluru is an important global base for technology solutions, and it continues to be a leading hub for both business and technology innovation. KPMG in Indias second Innovation Kaleidoscope Insights Centre housed in the Bengaluru office will draw on the immense talent, digital expertise and innovative potential available here. We encourage and invite clients and organisations alike, to visit this immersive workspace, which will offer a one-of-a-kind experience and a showcase all our sol utions, said Supreet Sachdev, Office Managing Partner, Bengaluru, KPMG in India. Following the successful operation of its first innovation centre at KPMG in India's Mumbai office in 2022 where KPMG teams have collaborated with alliance partners to solve industry challenges, demonstrated accelerators built with KPMG partners like Oracle, Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, ServiceNow and multiple start-ups. For more information, please visit the webpage . About KPMG in India KPMG entities in India are professional services firm(s). These Indian member firms are affiliated with KPMG International Limited. KPMG was established in India in August 1993. Our professionals leverage the global network of firms, and are conversant with local laws, regulations, markets, and competition. KPMG has offices across India in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida, Pune, Vadodara, and Vijayawada. KPMG entities in India offer services to national and international clients in India across sectors. We strive to provide rapid, performance-based, industry-focused, and technology-enabled services, which reflect a shared knowledge of global and local industries and our experience of the Indian business environment.

Police arrest accused in case related to attempt to murder on Jagan Mohan Reddy

Satish threw a stone on Mr. Reddy, which hit on his forehead, while participating in Memantha Siddham meeting in Vijayawada on April 13

Two detained in AP CM Jagans attack case

Andhra Pradesh: The police detained two persons in connection with the attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Ajith Singh Nagar in Vijayawada on Saturday night. The police might produce the two persons identified as Satish and Durga Rao in the local court in Vijayawada by Thursday evening. Based on technical evidence and cell tower details along with the footage collected from surveillance cameras installed at the spot, the police had zeroed in on Satish and Durga Rao. While Satish allegedly executed the attack when Jagans bus yatra reached near a school in Ajith Singh, Durga Rao assisted him, it is learnt. Meanwhile, the detention of Satish and Rao triggered panic among the family members, who requested the police to inform them about their whereabouts. After the attack on Jagan, the Andhra Pradesh police beefed up security for the yatra, which entered 17 th day on Thursday. The yatra resumed from Thethali near Tanuku on Thursday. Two detained in AP CM Jagans attack caseTwo detained in AP CM Jagans attack case

AP police uses mobile command and control centre to keep vigil during Jagans yatra

Andhra Pradesh: In the wake of recent attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Ajith Singh Nagar in Vijayawada, the police deployed a new mobile command and control centre to keep a constant vigil on those moving suspiciously during the yatra. The staff in the command and control centre will monitor the environs all along the bus yatra route. After the incident, the police are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring fool-proof security to the Chief Minister and accordingly intensified security deploying a separate team headed by a DSP rank officer for each sector in addition to the local police. As part of the enhanced security measures, the Andhra Pradesh police have now pressed into service a mobile command and control centre vehicle for maintaining surveillance continuously. The vehicle was installed with one high-end closed circuit surveillance camera atop the cabin in the front and two more cameras behind it to keep a vigil. These cameras can tilt 360 degrees to capture live images and the staff inside the vehicle will continuously monitor them. In case the staff finds anything suspicious, they would alert the police officials concerned for taking necessary action, according to officials. Jagan will resume the 17 th day yatra from Thethali near Tanuku on Thursday and halt for the day at ST Rajapuram in East Godavari district at night.

BJP preparing for polls with extra vigour in AP: Arun Singh

VIJAYAWADA: Bharatiya Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh is gearing up for the upcoming elections with a renewed vigour, said BJP National general secretary Arun Singh. In a video conference with State executive committee members and the election management committee, Singh stressed the importance of unity within the NDA alliance, urging all members to work together like a family. Singh highlighted the promising survey results indicating BJPs potential to secure a significant number of seats in AP. State BJP President Daggubati Purandeshwari emphasised the need for concerted efforts to secure victory in all 175 constituencies. BJP state vice-presidents PVN Madhav and Vetukuri Surya Narayana Raju were present.

AP: Nomination process for polls to commence today

VIJAYAWADA: Notification for the elections to be held on May 13 for 175 Assembly constituencies and 25 parliamentary segments in Andhra Pradesh will be issued on Thursday. Officials will start receiving nominations from contesting candidates from Thursday, said Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena. In a press release issued Wednesday, the CEO said all necessary arrangements have been made in the districts to receive nominations. The contestants for the parliamentary constituencies have to file their nominations at the district collectorates, while those contesting for the Assembly segments have to file their nominations at the constituency headquarters. A contestant can file a maximum of four seats of nominations and any candidate can only contest a maximum of two seats. Besides the contesting candidate, another four people will be allowed into the RO office at the time of filing nominations and others will be stopped 100 metres away from the RO office. Only three vehicles of the contestant are allowed for filing a nomination. The contestant for the parliamentary constituency has to deposit Rs 25,000 and for the Assembly segment Rs 10,000. SC and ST candidates have to pay 50% of the amount. The CEO emphasised that contestants and others have to strictly adhere to MCC while filing nominations. CCTV cameras have been set up at the RO offices to record the entire process of nomination filing, the CEO said and added that as per the ECI guidelines, processions and nomination filing process should be video recorded. The contestants should submit 13 types of documents. Those contesting for the Lok Sabha should submit Form 2A and those for the Assembly Form 2B Nominations will be received from 11 am to 3 pm on the notified dates. They will be not received on public holidays. Candidates can either file the nomination on their own or through their proposer. New bank account details should also be submitted along with the nomination. Affidavits have to be submitted through Form 26 and the stamp paper value of Form 26 should be more than Rs 10. Election schedule April 18 Nomination filing begins (Gazette notification will be issued) April 25 Last date for filing of nominations April 26 Scrutiny of nomination April 29 last date for withdrawal of nomination May 13 Date of polling June 4 Date of counting

AP: Meeting of parent, teachers rescheduled

VIJAYAWADA: Principal Secretary (School Education) Praveen Prakash said, There is a slight change in the activities to be taken on the last day of the academic year, that is on April 23. In a press release on Wednesday, he stated that, This adjustment pertains to the originally scheduled parent-teachers meeting, which will now be rescheduled to June 12, the day of school reopening for the academic year 2024-2025. In the wake of this modification, all District Education Officers (DEOs) have been urged to take note of the updated instructions and inform them to all Headmasters (HMs) within their jurisdiction. The directive emphasises that on April 23, the focus will solely be on distributing report cards to students, with no parent-teacher meetings scheduled for that day. The decision to postpone the parent-teachers meeting aims to streamline administrative processes.

Andhra Pradesh: Fire breaks out at a godown in Vijayawada

AP: Elaborate arrangements in place for nomination process

VIJAYAWADA: Elaborate arrangements have been made across various administrative officer to facilitate the smooth acceptance of nominations from candidates, said District Election Officer and Collector S Dilli Rao. Speaking to reporters at the Election Media Centre of the Information and Public Relations Department office on Wednesday, the Collector said, The process of nominations, crucial in the conduct of elections, will begin on April 18, and full arrangements have been made in the offices of the Returning Officers (ROs) to receive the nominations from the candidates. He informed that prior to the commencement of the process, Form 1 public notices will be issued in both Telugu and English languages by the ROs, to be published before 11 am on April 18. These notices will be displayed prominently in key offices at the district, division, mandal, and village levels. Dilli Rao provided detailed instructions regarding the nomination process across various constituencies in the NTR district. For the Vijayawada parliamentary constituency, candidates are directed to submit their nominations at the collectors office. In Tiruvuru constituency, nominations will be accepted at the RDO office. Similarly, for Vijayawada West Constituency, nominations to be filed at the West Tehsildars office. For Vijayawada Central Constituency, the nominations will be accepted at VMC. In Vijayawada East Constituency, candidates are instructed to submit their nominations at the Sub-Collectors Office. The nomination process for Mylavaram will be conducted at the Tahsildar office. Additionally, nominations for Nandigama will be processed at the Nandigama RDO office. Lastly, for Jaggaiahpet constituency, candidates can file their nominations at the Tahsildars office. He highlighted that representatives of political parties have been thoroughly briefed on the nomination process, ensuring they are well-versed in submission protocols and the contents of nomination papers. Dilli Rao informed that the nominations will be accepted from 11 am to 3 pm on all days except government holidays. According to him, a maximum of five individuals, including the candidate, will be permitted in the RO chamber during filing. Only three vehicles will be allowed within a 100-metre radius during the filing process. Help desks have been set up across constituencies to assist candidates with nomination procedures. CCTV surveillance, both inside and outside RO offices, will be conducted, with videography capturing the entire process. Candidates can file a maximum of four sets of nominations but are restricted from filing from more than two constituencies. Following the nominations phase, scrutiny will occur on April 26, with the withdrawal window open until 3 pm on April 29. Symbol allotment and announcement of successful candidates will follow, facilitated through Form-7A, he said. Krishna Collector outlines locations for nominations During a press briefing held at the collectorate in Machilipatnam on Wednesday, Krishna District Collector and DEO DK Balaji provided outlined the specific locations where nominations would be received for various constituencies. For the Machilipatnam Parliamentary constituency, nominations will be accepted at the RO & District Collectors Chamber, located at the Collectorate in Krishna. In the Gannavaram constituency (AC), nominations will be collected at the RO Chamber, situated at the Tahsildars Office in Gannavaram.

YSRC complains to CEO seeking action against Nara Lokesh

VIJAYAWADA: The YSRC on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India and Chief Electoral Officer to intervene and direct TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh to remove the Psycho Povali....Cycle Ravali song from the latters Youtube channel and also from playing it in public meetings. YSRC Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu and others submitted a representation to Additional CEO Koteswara Rao stating that the TDP is playing the provocative song terming the Chief Minister as a Psycho. The search of the song online would indicate that it was uploaded and published on the Youtube channel of Lokesh. The song is in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, Vishnu said and wanted the ECI to direct TDP to desist from playing the song in public meetings. Vishnu also sought stringent action against Lokesh and TDP for such alleged inflammatory, defamatory and obnoxious actions. In another representation, Vishnu lodged a complaint against Hindupur TDP MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna for making personal remarks against Jagan Mohan Reddy during the Swarnandhra Sakara Yatra in Kurnool. Vishnu said Balakrishnas remarks were replete with statements and expressions intended to denigrate and belittle his political adversaries, thus straying far from the norms of respectful and dignified campaigning. They urged the ECI to investigate into the speech of the leader for violation of the MCC.

Attack on Andhra CM: Police detain another from Vaddera Colony

VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada City Police have reportedly taken another person into custody suspecting his involvement in the attack on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy last Saturday. The police have already taken five persons into custody for questioning. The sixth person Vemula Durga Rao also belongs to Vaddera Colony of Singh Nagar. Meanwhile, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the police are trying to implicate party Vijayawada Central candidate Bonda Umamaheswara Rao in the case. According to sources, Durga Rao was present at the spot along with Satish, who was earlier picked up by the police for questioning. Durga Rao was reportedly picked up from Bonda Umas office which raised political heat. Uma said it was a deliberate attempt to implicate him in the case. The attack was a freak one. Those who were earlier picked up from Vaddera Colony have claimed that they have hurled the stone as the YSRC government had removed the Anna Canteen in their locality. The youngsters have even said that they were promised Rs 300 each for attending the meeting while women were promised Rs 200 each, but were not given which made them angry, Uma said. The YSRC tried to gain sympathy by overplaying the incident but could not get any. Now, they want to blame the TDP for the incident. I will not spare any police officer who implicates me in the case. We will come to power soon and we will take action against officials who foist cases, he said. Meanwhile, Naidu criticised the YSRC for its attempt to blame the TDP for the stone pelting incident against Jagan. Police took youths and minors from Vaddera Colony, labelling them as the accused, into custody and it was indicative of the governments efforts to conspire against the TDP without disclosing who actually perpetrated the act, he said, and alleged that the YSRC is plotting to involve TDP candidates and key leaders in cases. He said the YSRC is targeting Bonda Uma with an intention to disrupt his poll campaign in Vijayawada Central segment with false accusations. Naidu urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to keep a track of the abuse of power and demanded that officials failing to ensure the CMs security should be relieved of investigation responsibilities. A thorough inquiry should be conducted under the ECI supervision, the TDP chief said. YSRC spokesperson K Ravichandra Reddy questioned as to how the TDP can raise a hue and cry that their leaders are being targeted even before the police made any statement on the accused in the incident. The reaction of Naidu makes us believe that he might be behind the attack, he observed.

AP: HRF criticises Dalit tonsuring case verdict

VIJAYAWADA: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) opines that the judgment in the Venkatayapalem Dalit tonsuring case serves justice only notionally. While the XI Additional District Judge & SC/ST Court in Visakhapatnam was impartial in convicting the accused, the leniency in deciding the sentence indicates that the court may have overlooked the casteist nature of the crime, as mentioned in a release issued Wednesday. Although the sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, invoked in this case have provisions for a maximum punishment of five years, the court convicted the accused to a jail term of 18 months. It is pertinent to note that the MLC membership of the prime accused, Thota Trimurthulu, would have been disqualified had the jail term crossed two years, rendering him ineligible to contest in the upcoming polls. HRF stated the crime in this case should not merely be viewed as one committed against the victims, but against the entire oppressed community. There is no justifiable reason for the courts lenient approach in deciding the sentence. The accused, 10 in number, have managed to prolong the case for 28 years owing to the social, economic, and political clout they hold, it said. Their caste background played a key role in ensuring the support of all political parties in the State, it said and demanded the State file an appeal in the High Court to increase the duration of the punishment. If the victims decide to file a private appeal, the HRF will ensure all the cooperation required, it added.

Vignan varsity releases V-Sat 2024 test results

VIJAYAWADA: Vignan Scholastic Aptitude Test (V-Sat24) results of B.Tech/B.Pharm/B.Sc.Agri Science courses of Vignans University were released on Wednesday by the Universitys Vice-Chancellor Prof P Nagabhushan. On the occasion, Prof Nagabhushan said that about 40,000 students from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and North India have appeared for the exam. Compared to last year, 10,000 more applications received. The Admission counseling based on VSAT is scheduled from April 24 - 30 in the varsity premises at Vadlamudi. He emphasised that in Vignans Deemed to be University, the continuous updating of the syllabus on semester basis ensures that the students are always well versed on industry relevant skills. From the academic year 2022-23, R-22 regulations were implemented in which every topic of the syllabus is integrated to laboratory and project based learning makes interesting and attractive. This helps the student to gain a complete understanding rather than simply memorizing and remembering the subject. Continuous assessment ensures continuity in learning and improvement in the learning profile because of continuous feedback. In addition to the regular teaching, a 200 hours Campus Recruitment Training (CRT) programme is part of the UG curriculum.

Heatwave alert issued in parts of AP for two days

VIJAYAWADA: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued a heatwave alert at isolated pockets across the State on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, the State largely experienced hot and humid conditions with daytime temperatures being above 40 degrees Celsius at most places. The highest daytime temperature of 44.9 degrees Celsius was recorded at Devalapuram of Nandyal district, followed by 44.3 degrees Celsius at Makkuva of Parvathipuram Manyam district, and Simhadripuram of YSR district, 44.1 degrees Celsius at Ravikamatam of Anakapalle district, Manga Nellore of Tirupati district, Ramabhadrapuram and Tummikapalle of Vizianagaram district, and Donakonda of Prakasam district. According to APSDMA, 67 mandals in the State experienced severe heatwave conditions, while 125 mandals experienced heatwave conditions on Wednesday. It is forecasted that severe heatwave conditions are likely in 76 mandals and heatwave conditions in 214 mandals on Thursday. The public is advised to avoid outdoor activities during the daytime between 11 am and 3 pm. The IMD emphasised the significant risks of elevated temperatures during heatwaves, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions. These groups are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Additionally, prolonged periods of extreme heat can lead to dehydration and strain infrastructure such as power grids and transportation systems.

Doctors in fray to gauge peoples pulse

VIJAYAWADA: Medical professionals getting elected to the legislative bodies is not new. Andhra Pradesh has a history of several doctors contesting the elections and successfully entering the State Assembly. Who can forget that former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy was a doctor by profession? This time too, several doctors are contesting the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats. Here are some names Seediri Appalaraju He did his MBBS from Rangaraya Medical College in Kakinada and MD from Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatnam. Practised for 10 years as a doctor, before taking the plunge into politics in 2019. He joined the YSRC, contested Palasa Assembly seat, won, and became a minister in YS Jagan Mohan Reddys Cabinet. Now, he is contesting the same seat on YSRC ticket Tale Rajesh This 43-year-old candidate hails from a political family. His father Tale Bhadrayya represented Palakonda twice as an MLA. He did MBBS, DNB (Orthopedic Surgeon), and worked at Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital. He joined the YSRC and is now contesting the Rajam Assembly seat Chetti Tanuja Rani A medical professional with a specialisation in epidemiology, Rani holds a medical degree from the International School of Medicine-International University of Kyrgyzstan. Before her political journey, she served as a medical officer in ASR District Medical and Health Office in Paderu. Daughter of former BSNL officer Syam Sunder and nurse Varalakshmi, Tanujas political entry marks a significant transition. Her father-in-law is Araku MLA Chetti Palguna, and her husband Vinay is an active member of the ruling party. She is contesting from Araku, the largest Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Prades on YSRC ticket Dasari Sudha Dasari Sudha She did her MBBS from Kurnool Medical College in 1999 and worked as a doctor in a private hospital in Kadapa. Her husband Dr G Venkata Subbaiah was Badvel MLA and died of illness in 2021. She contested on YSRC ticket in the byelection and won with a thumping majority. Byreddy Sabari Her father Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy is a former minister. She worked as a gastroenterologist at Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad and earned acclaim for her surgical expertise. She started her political career with the BJP, and recently joined TDP. She is contesting from the Nandyal LS seat. Sathi Suryanarayana Reddy Sathi Suryanarayana Reddy A medical professional, who did his MS in General Surgery from University of Mysore, plunged into politics and joined the Congress in 2011. He joined the YSRC in 2014, and unsuccessfully contested from Anaparthi. In 2014, he won the seat and the YSRC has fielded him again from Anaparthi. Guduri Srinivas A noted pulmonologist, he did his MBBS from Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada, and was a gold medalist. Later, he did his DLO (ENT and MD (Pulmonology). He worked as a Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at GSL Medical College for 10 years. He established a 100-bed Cardio Respiratory Centre -- Vijaya Bharathi Chest Institute in Rajahmundry. Taking a plunge into politics, he joined the YSRC. He is contesting the Rajahmundry Lok Sabah seat now. ME Sunil Kumar He is a medical professional from a political family. Sunils father K Eranna is a former MLA from Madakasira belonging to the TDP. Sunil, who did his BDS from Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences, worked as a doctor in a government hospital in Hindupur. Deciding to follow the footsteps of his father, he joined the TDP. He is in the election fray from Madakasira constituency. M Sudheer Reddy Hailing from a political family, he did his MBBS from Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Science, Mandya, Karnataka. Later, completed his Diploma in Anesthesia. Nephew of ex-minister MV Mysura Reddy, he joined the YSRC in 2011 and contested for the first time from Jammalamadugu in 2019 and won. He is in the election fray from the same segment.

Penamaluru to witness tough fight

VIJAYAWADA: With the elections fast approaching, the Penamaluru constituency emerges as a focal point of intense political activity and strategic alliances. Housing Minister Jogi Ramesh, contesting from Penamaluru for the first time, faces formidable challenges from non-local factors. However, the charisma of CM YS Jagan and the schemes of YSRC pave a promising path for him. In contrast, the TDP has strategically nominated local leader Bode Prasad, leveraging his previous victory in Penamaluru in 2014. Prasads long-standing service activities in the constituency bolster his candidacy, drawing support from various sectors. The segment, encompassing over 2.7 lakh voters, boasts a diverse demographic, including significant Kamma, Kapu, BC, Muslim, and Dalit communities. With a track record of winning from Pedana in 2009 and 2019, Jogi steps into a new battleground where he lacks direct contact with voters. He relies heavily on the local YSRC cadre for campaign support. However, his non-local status poses a potential hurdle, requiring time to acclimate to the segments dynamics and garner voter trust. Interestingly, political rivals Bode Prasad and Kolusu Parthasarathy, who previously contested against each other, have joined forces in a bid to secure victory for the TDP. Parthasarathys switch from YSRC to TDP adds another layer of complexity to the electoral landscape, as he now campaigns across the segment. The strategic planning by leaders takes into account caste equations and winning prospects, highlighting the importance of community alliances in securing electoral success. Reflecting on past elections, Penamaluru has remained politically volatile, with no party winning the segment consecutively since its inception in 2008. In the 2019 assembly polls, Parthasarathy clinched victory with 47% of the vote share, riding the wave of YSRCs popularity. However, Prasads defeat underscores the challenges faced by the TDP. Despite of the political strength that the constituency posses, long-pending issues remain unsolved for decades. A resident of Poranki, Bhukya Sowjanya expressed concerns about the drinking water issues prevailing in various parts of the segment. She highlighted that even minor rainfall leads to sewage contamination in boreholes. Despite the proximity of Yanamalakudaru and Pedapulipaka, Chaudavaram to the Krishna (Bandar) canal, many villages in the constituency, including YSR Tadigadapa Municipality lack access to Krishna water. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of initiative from leaders to construct waterhead tanks, leaving residents without a sustainable solution. Several ponds were also illegally occupied, she said. Sowjanya lamented that while leaders make election promises, they fail to address the underlying issues. Maridu Bhaskara Rao of Penamaluru highlighted the severe drainage issues plaguing the villages in the area. He emphasised that sewage flowing on the roads leads to numerous problems for residents. Inadequate garbage disposal facilities contribute to sanitation concerns in many areas. The presence of dilapidated roads exacerbates traffic problems. A resident from Kanuru, M Nageswara Rao expressed dismay over the stalled construction of the Pantakalava road which is from Patamata to Ganguru, initiated to alleviate traffic congestion for the constituencys residents. The project came to a halt midway due to issues with the approach road at Siddhartha Engineering College, resulting in its incomplete status to date. Despite leaders being aware of this long standing problem, little attention has been paid to address it over the years. Another resident of Poranki, Pannamaneni Srinivasa Rao raised concerns about the plight of tenant farmers in the constituency. He noted these farmers are not receiving support prices for their produce and are also being deprived of government schemes due to the absence of Parmar cards. Additionally, the lack of market yard and godown facilities leaves local farmers with no means to store their grains. Many problems have afflicted the people of the constituency for decades. Yet, it remains to be seen whether leaders will uphold their promises made during elections, fulfil their commitments, and earn forgiveness from the people.

From constable to civil servant, an inspiring journey of Uday

VIJAYAWADA: Mulagani Uday Krishna Reddy, hailing from Ullapalem village of Singarayakonda mandal in Prakasam district, has set an example to the IAS aspirants that one should not allow a personal tragedy to come in the way of dreaming big and achieving it. He faced adversity early in life, having lost his parents at a young age. Raised by his grandmother, Uday went to Zilla Parishad school and then government colleges. He became a police constable but he left the job when his superiors humiliated him in the presence of his colleagues. Uday made the difficult decision to resign in 2019 after his circle inspector insulted him in front of nearly 60 constables. Determined to pursue his aspirations, he shifted his focus to civil services. In the recently announced UPSC 2024 civil services results, he made it big. His resilience and dedication kept him ahead of others. He secured an All India rank of 780. His journey from humble beginnings to achieving success in the highly competitive civil services exam serves as an inspiration to many. Uday lost his mother Jayamma when he was four-and-a-half-years-old and his father Srinivasula Reddy when he was 15-years-old. He was raised by his grandmother Ramanamma, a daily labourer. Uday completed his schooling in Ullapalem village and his high schooling in ZP school. He pursued an Intermediate vocational course in the Lab Technician branch and completed his BA at Jawahar Bharathi Degree College. Now, he is pursuing his MA Political Science through distance education. His optional subject in the UPSC exam was Political Science and International Relations. He devoted eight to 10 hours per day for his studies. He trained at Sarath Chandra IAS Academy for mains and interview. He worked part-time as a lab technician at a private diabetic centre during his Intermediate studies and was selected for the constable post in 2012. He joined duty in October 2013 at Gudluru, situated previously in Prakasam district and now in Nellore after reorganisation, later worked at the Marine police station. Speaking to TNIE, Uday shared, Once our circle inspector insulted me in front of nearly 60 colleagues bearing a personal grudge. He ordered an extra drill for more than an hour as disciplinary action. It hurt me a lot, and I quit the job in August 2018. Despite challenges, he pursued his dream of cracking the civil services exam. With the support of the then SP of Prakasam district Siddharth Kaushal, he overcame hurdles and succeeded. He was lucky to have financial and emotional support from his brother Pranay Krishna Reddy, maternal uncle Koti Reddy, and friends Yogi, Siva Kumar, Sarath Chandra, Sunil, and Rajesh. Mulagani Uday Krishna Reddy After failed attempts in 2019, 2021, and 2022, he finally fulfilled his dream in 2023. He expressed satisfaction with the rank he achieved and shared his desire to serve the underprivileged and work for animal welfare through government-supported initiatives. He emphasised the importance of discipline, determination, and excellence with courage for aspiring UPSC candidates. Uday aims to establish a 109 (like 108) service and rehabilitation centre for roadside animals and conduct Praja Darbars to remain accessible to the people. He is determined to fight against drug abuse to safeguard the future generations. Wants to introduce 109 service for stray animals He emphasised the importance of discipline and excellence with courage for aspiring UPSC candidates. Uday Krishna Reddy emphasised the importance of discipline, determination, and excellence with courage for aspiring UPSC candidates. Uday aims to set up a 109 (like 108) service and rehabilitation centre for roadside animals and conduct Praja Darbars to remain accessible to the people. He is determined to fight against drug abuse to safeguard the future generations.

LS polls 2024: Kesineni brothers cross swords in Vijayawada

VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada parliamentary constituency, which has strategic importance for the development of Andhra Pradesh as a whole, is in dire need of infrastructure development to address the increasing urban population, more so after State bifurcation. One of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh post bifurcation, Vijayawada is urban and semi-urban in nature, and like any urban constituency, it is also facing infrastructure problems. Now, sitting MP Kesineni Nani, who switched over to the YSRC, is facing his brother Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) of TDP in the electoral battle. Vijayawada has seven Assembly segments Vijayawada East, Vijayawada Central, Vijayawada West, and Mylavaram, which are urban, Jaggaiahpet and Nandiagama are semi-urban, and Tiruvuru has a rural character. It has a population of approximately 22,18,591 and the total electorate in the Lok Sabha constituency is 14,69,858. Formed in 1952, the Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat had Harindranath Chattopadhyay, an independent, as its first MP. He was the younger brother of freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu. After him, it was represented by Dr Komarraju Atchamamba of Congress. In the subsequent three elections, the Lok Sabha seat was represented by K Lakshmana Rao, G Murahari and Chennupati Vidya from the grand old party. Vadde Sobhanadreswara Rao became Vijayawada MP on TDP ticket for the first time in 1984 and again he represented the constituency in 1991. Parvathaneni Upendra of Congress was elected twice from Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat, followed by Gadde Rammohan of TDP once, and Lagadapati Rajagopal of Congress twice. After him, Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) of TDP won in 2014 and 2019. Speaking to TNIE, Ch Babu Rao of CPM, who is contesting Vijayawada Central Assembly seat, said the issue of Amaravati as the State capital will have a significant impact on the poll outcome. Besides sentiment, there is a hope for development and progress in the region. However, it was neglected, costing people of the region several opportunities, he pointed out. Prices of land, real estate business, and construction workers dependent on realty sector had suffered due to the lack of progress on the capital city issue, said Congress leader Kolanukonda Sivaji. Another leader, not wishing to be named, said even after a decade of State bifurcation, there has been no infrastructure development in the State. The Inner Ring Road is still under construction, road networks remain undeveloped, the metro rail and the proposed waterway has remained on the paper only, he added. A farmer leader pointed out that the Vijayawada parliamentary constituency has more upland area and falls under the ayacut of Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal. However, farmers suffer due to lack of proper irrigation facility. Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation scheme is yet to benefit farmers, he said. It may be pointed out that there is no major industry in the Lok Sabha constituency, which was named after former CM NT Rama Rao after the district reorganisation. Speaking to TNIE, Jandhyala Shankar, former mayor of Vijayawada, said though Vijayawada railway station is an important junction with over 300 trains and significant freight traffic, facilities at the station are anything to be boasted about. There is not even a ramp, he said. Further, he pointed out that Vijayawada has no zoological park, though space is available at Kondapalli. It will give a much-needed lung space and recreational zone for the people of the region, he explained.

Advocate Seeks Search Warrant for Detained Suspects in Stone Pelting Case

Vijayawada : Advocate Abdus Saleem plans to file a petition in the principal district magistrate court under Section 97 of the CrPC. The petition seeks a court order directing the police to produce the detained suspects, including minors, in the recent stone pelting case before a magistrate. Saleem argues that detaining suspects for over 24 hours without presenting them before a magistrate violates legal norms. He visited the Ajith Singh Nagar police station and found concerned family members who were unable to locate their detained loved ones. Police at the station refused to disclose the detainees' whereabouts. Saleem further expresses concern over the alleged detention of minors in police uniforms, which is also against legal guidelines. As 48 hours have passed since the arrests, Saleem intends to file a petition requesting the court to issue a search warrant to ensure the detainees are brought before a magistrate.

ECI to Issue Notification Today for AP Polls

Vijayawada : The Election Commission would issue the notification on Thursday for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh that will be held in 4 phases. Nominations for both Assembly and Lok Sabha seats will be accepted from the same day. Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena said here on Wednesday that candidates for Lok Sabha should file their nominations at the respective collectorate and those for the Assembly at the headquarters of the respective Assembly segment. He said that each contestant could be allowed to file a maximum of four sets of nominations and can contest only from two seats. Contestants would be permitted to take four persons along with them to file the nominations at the offices of Returning Officers concerned. The rest of supporters, if any, would be stopped 100 metres away from the ROs office. Only three vehicles would be allowed for the contestants to reach the ROs office to file the nomination papers. A contestant for LS must pay a security deposit of `25,000 while for Assembly it is `10,000. In case of contestants from SC and ST communities, only 50 per cent of the total security deposit needs to be paid. The CEO has called upon the contestants to comply with the model code of conduct while filing their nomination papers and said that electronic surveillance was set up at the office where nominations are to be accepted and also at its entrance. He said that processions, if any, while going for filing of nominations would be video recorded. The contestants are advised to carry 13 varieties of documents. Those contesting the LS should fill up Form-2 A and those for Assembly Form-2 B. Nominations will be accepted from 11 am to 3 pm on all notified dates, and no nomination will be accepted on public holidays. Each contestant will be permitted to file a maximum of four sets of nomination papers to RO or ARO. He or she can also submit nomination papers either directly or through a proposer. Help Deks are set up at all Assembly segments and contestants could avail Suvidha app to file nominations but they were supposed to submit the hard copy physically to the RO. The issue of gazette notification for conduct of polls and acceptance of nominations will be on April 18, the last date for filing of nominations-April 25, scrutiny of nominations-April 26, last date for withdrawal of nominations-April 29, polling will be held on May 13 and the counting on June 4. Meanwhile, all the major political parties including the YSRC and the Telugu Desam, Jana Sena, BJP, Congress and others announced the nominees for the 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats - with an exception for one or two seats for change of nominees. The electioneering is slowly picking up while prominent leaders like YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, BJP state president Daggubati Purandeswari and PCC chief Y.S. Sharmila have been addressing public meetings to reach out to the people.

Sri Rama Navami Celebrated with Zeal Across Andhra Pradesh

Kakinada: Sri Rama Navami was celebrated with fervour and traditional gaiety across Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. Devotees thronged temples and pandals and participated in the divine celebrations commemorating the birth of Lord Rama. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams marked the festivities with a ceremonial Dhwajarohanam at the Sri Kodanda Rama Swamy temple in Vontimitta, Kadapa district, signalling the commencement of the annual Brahmotsavams. The temple is set to celebrate the auspicious Sri Sita Ramula Vari Kalyanam on April 22. At the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, TTD observed Sri Rama Navami Asthanam ritual. After the daily rituals, temple priests performed the sacred Snapana Tirumanjanam to the idols of Lord Sri Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, and Hanuman. Later in the day, the deity was taken out in a procession through the mada streets on Hanumantha Vahanam. Later, the pundits read out Sri Rama Jananam in Sri Rama Navami Asthanam, which took place near Bangaru Vakili inside the hill temple at around 10pm. The Sri Kodanda Rama temple in Tirupati witnessed similar celestial fervour, with a Snapana Tirumanjanam performed in the morning and an Asthanam in the evening. The Pedda Jeeyar Swamy of Tirumala presented new Vastrams to the presiding and Utsava deities, followed by Rama's celestial ride on Hanumantha Vahana. Meanwhile, Hindu shrines across the state celebrated the Sri Sita-Ramulavari Kalyanam in a grand manner, attracting devotees in large numbers. Priests elucidated the significance of Rama Navami, emphasizing the enduring legacy of Lord Rama's righteous rule. Spiritual fervour marked the celebrations at the famous Kodanda Ramalayam at Rama Mandiram, Seetha Ramachandra Swamy temple (Governorpet), and other Sri Rama temples in Vijayawada and its surroundings. Rama Navami pandals were erected in various localities, where priests distributed Panakam and Vadapappu as prasadam to the devotees. Similar grand celebrations were held in the Sri Sitaramanjaneya Swamy and other Ram temples in Mangalagiri, Ramanama Kshetram, Kodanda Ramalayam, and other temples in Guntur, as well as in Nandigama, Aitavaram, Mylavaram, Nuzvid, Penamaluru, Machilipatnam, Gudivada, Gannavaram, and other areas. Visakhapatnam witnessed a vibrant celebration of Ram Navami, with traditional ceremonies and public events organized by various temples and associations. The Ambika Bhag (part of Kanaka Mahalakshmi temple), Simhachalam temple, commissioner's office, and Ramalayam temple within the city police barracks hosted the 'Sri Rama Kalyanam' ceremonies. The Marwadi association also organised a Shoba Yatra, a procession commemorating the occasion, filling the streets with devotional fervour. The Srirama Navami Festival was celebrated in Godavari districts. The Sitha Rama Kalyanams were held in every Vaishnava and Shiva temples, by following the traditions and customs. Many devotees thronged the temples and took Prasadams and auspicious rice of the Kalyanam. The temples were decorated with illuminations and garlands. Many political leaders participated in the Srirama Kalyanam in their respective constituencies.

TD Wants CEC to Prevent Bonda Umas Arrest

Vijayawada : Telugu Desam has sought the intervention of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in preventing the arrest of TDP candidate from Vijayawada Central assembly constituency Bonda Umamaheswara Rao. In a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner on Wednesday, TD politburo member Varla Ramaiah maintained that the Andhra Pradesh police are under pressure from the ruling YSR Congress party to foist a false case against Bonda Uma, so that the YSRC nominee from Vijayawada Central could win the election. Ramaiah maintained that the TDP candidate is not at all involved in the stone pelting incident on Jagan Mohan Reddy. He alleged that the Vijayawada commissioner of police is trying to implicate Bonda Umamaheswara Rao in the case. The TD politburo demanded that the ECI immediately shift the police commissioner from his post.

YSRC Complains to EC Against Balakrishna for Insulting CM

Vijayawada : YSRC on Wednesday demanded that the Election Commission of India take immediate action against Telugu Desam leader Nandamuri Balakrishna for calling Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as Janakanthri and Mudarashta Valakam. In a complaint filed with additional chief electoral officer Koteswara Rao, YSRC MLA Malladi Vishnu charged that the opposition NDA alliance is unable to bear the overwhelming response to the ongoing Memantha Siddham bus yatra. The alliance is thus hatching conspiracies to defame YSRC and its leaders. In this regard, MLA Vishnu said TD Hindupur candidate Balakrishna's comments Janakanthri and Mudarashta Valakam made at the prominent actors Kurnool meeting on April 16 are disgusting and against the election rules. Hence, they have been brought to the notice of the ECI. Vishnu underlined that Balakrishna, who had not visited Hindupur for five years while TDP had been in power, is now talking ill about the Chief Minister. In another complaint to the Election Commission, the YSRC MLA said the song Psycho Povali, Cycle Raavali is against the election rules. He demanded that it be immediately removed from TD leader Nara Lokesh's YouTube channel. Vishnu was accompanied by leaders Ravela Kishore Babu, Ankamreddy Naga Narayanamurthy and YSRC legal cell member Srinivasa Reddy.

TD's Efforts to Project Attack on Jagan as Self-inflicted Falls Flat

Hyderabad : The Telugu Desams efforts to showcase the attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in Vijayawada on Saturday as self-inflicted to garner sympathy have fallen flat on Wednesday. Party candidate from Vijayawada Central, Bonda Uma, revealed that a resident of a local basti has admitted he threw a stone on the Chief Minister out of sheer anger. The anger, according to Uma, emanated from the state governments decision to close down the Anna Canteens, an initiative of the Chandrababu Naidu-led government to supply meals at Rs.5 each. Uma, speaking to a vernacular television channel, also said the suspect, said to be in police custody, was also upset over the YSRC leaders failing to keep their promise of paying him money and serving liquor for attending the CMs road show. Umas revelation clearly exposed the double standards of the TD and Chandrababu Naidu. Till now, they tried to project that the ruling party orchestrated the attack to gain sympathy and now, when the truth is about to come out, the party changed its version, alleged the YSRC spokesperson. Ever since the Chief Minister sustained injury, the TD leaders took to social media ridiculing the attack as kodi katti 2.0, citing that the ruling party enacted a similar attack on Jagan Mohan Reddy before the 2019 polls, with a knife, in Visakhapatnam airport. Though TD chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu condemned the attack and demanded an unbiased probe, his son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh tweeted ridiculing the attack and indicating it as self-inflicted. TDs state unit president K. Atchannaidu dismissed the attack on Jagan Mohan Reddy as a poll stunt scripted by Jagan Mohan Reddy and the senior police officials DGP and Intelligence chief fearing severe drubbing in polls. It is nothing but Kodi Katti 2.0, he added. The partys official handle on X, the social media platform, also maintained that it was an orchestrated attack. TD now changed its tack and accused the YSRC of trying to implicate Bonda Uma in the case. Uma, trying to put on a brave face, threatened to take action against the police officials trying to implicate him once the TD government is formed. Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, addressing public meetings on Wednesday, presented a similar narrative, that the police have been preparing the ground to implicate Uma. Jana Senas official handle reposted a tweet of a follower, which inadvertently admitted that the attack was not orchestrated. It sought to project that Jagan Mohan Reddy tried to blame the Opposition for the attack, contrary to the fact that some disgruntled elements threw a stone on Jagan Mohan Reddy over the partys failure to fulfil the promise of food and liquor to the road show participants.

Politicians, Mainly Candidates, Buzz at Rama Navami Pandals

Vijayawada : Political leaders, mainly candidates of all political parties, joined Sri Rama Navami celebrations in various parts of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. Clearly, the impending 2024 general elections, found them making a beeline to Rama temples in their respective constituencies. The candidates avoided all politics, knowing fully well that they will be held responsible for violation of the election code of conduct. Health minister Vidadala Rajini attended the Sitarama Kalyanam at the Omkara Kshetram in Guntur. She also participated in a Shobha Yatra by driving a tractor, which caught the attention of the masses. Guntur West MLA Maddali Giridhar and other YSRC leaders joined her. On the day, Rajini visited a majority of Rama Navami pandals in Guntur city. Telugu Desam general secretary Nara Lokesh attended the Rama Navami celebrations at the Sitaramanjaneya Swamy Temple in Mangalagiri, apart from other places. In Vijayawada, former minister and YSRC Vijayawada Central candidate Velampalli Srinivas Rao visited nearly a dozen Rama Navami pandals on Thursday in quick succession and organised an Annadanam. Srinivas Rao went on to compare Jagan Mohan Reddys rule to Rama Rajyam, asking people in the pandals to re-elect Jagan as the next Chief Minister for continuation of the Rama Rajyam. Bharatiya Janata Party state president Daggubati Purandeswari participated in the Sita Rama Kalyanam at the famous Ramalayam in Seethampeta area of Rajamahendravaram. Further, Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha member and YSRC Rajamahendravaram Urban candidate Margani Bharat and his wife Mona performed Sitharama Kalyanam at Margani Estates in Rajamahendravaram. Others who participated in the Rama Navami festivities are Kakinada Lok Sabha candidate Chalamalasetty Sunil, Pithapuram candidate Vanga Geetha, Kakinada Rural MLA Kurasala Kannababu, and Jana Sena Kakinada Rural candidate Pantham Venkateswara Rao (Nanaji). In Visakhapatnam, various political leaders participated in the Kalyanotsavam at Ambika Bagh, including YSRC candidate Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar. On the occasion, he urged the Chief Minister to usher in Sri Rama Rajyam in Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu Calls for Peoples Support to Set Up Rama Rajyam in AP

Vijayawada : Telugu Desam president Nara Chandrababu Naidu has called upon the people to support the TD-JS-BJP alliance in the present elections to provide AP with good governance and welfare. Addressing a large public meeting as part of the Prajagalam along with Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan at Pedana in Krishna district on Wednesday, Naidu said: The people are celebrating Sri Rama Navami festival in a grand manner all over the state. Lord Ram killed Ravanasura to usher in Rama Rajyam. Similarly, I urge the people of AP to defeat the YSRC and its leader Jagan Mohan Reddy so as to help the 3-party alliance to form the next government and establish Rama Rajyam. Naidu said the BJP-led NDA government with nearly 400 LS seats was all set to form government in Delhi for the third successive term. It would be easy for AP to approach the Centre and get funds for taking up development works and to implement welfare schemes if the 3-party alliance forms the next government here. If the YSRC is re-elected to power, it might not be able to get funds from the Centre with the ease with which we can get it, he claimed. Referring to the findings of 11 survey reports which stated that the 3-party alliance would win 17 to 23 Lok Sabha seats in AP, Naidu sounded confident of winning 160 Assembly and 25 LS seats. The TD chief alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy was playing dramas of Kodi Kathi and stone pelting and even conspired to implicate the alliance leaders. The YSRC leaders promised to offer `500, a quarter bottle of liquor and a biryani packet per head if the youngsters stand on the road and welcome Jagan Mohan Reddy during his bus yatra. As they failed to give these to the youths, somebody might have pelted a stone out of anger, Naidu reasoned. He asked as to why Jagan Mohan Reddy failed to respond when I was attacked with stones at my Undavalli residence earlier, even as the alliance leaders condemned the stone attack on Jagan Mohan Reddy. He lashed out at Jagan Mohan Reddy for trying to generate sympathy on the pretext of death of his father and former CM, late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, in the 2014 polls, murder of his uncle in 2019, and coming up with dead bodies of pensioners in the 2024 polls. Naidu said 20-30 MLAs and some MPs left Jagan Mohan Reddys party. He called upon the chairpersons of Zilla Parishads, Mandal Parishad presidents, ZPTCs, MPTCs, gram sarpanches to join the alliance. He announced several sops including two cents of land to the landless and financial assistance to construct pucca houses and to restore TIDCO houses. Blaming Pedana MLA and minister Jogi Ramesh was involved in graft, he said and cautioned him to keep his mouth under control. He also gave a call to uproot YSRC from power and drown it in Bay of Bengal. Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, referring to the remarks of Jagan Mohan Reddy on himself leaving the Bhimavaram Assembly segment to contest elsewhere, asked the CM: Why are you feeling more pain about me when you changed candidates for 70 Assembly segments? He called upon the people to support the alliance to win the polls, and took potshots at Pedana MLA and minister Jogi Ramesh for his alleged involvement in high-level corruption. He promised to extend all support to several sections of the people in Pedana segment, be it Kalamkari workers, fishermen, youth or others and vowed to resolve the fluoride issue.

YSRC Alleges Naidu Behind Stone Attack on CM

Vijayawada: YSRCs senior leader Kanumuri Ravichandra Reddy has alleged that Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu is behind the stone attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Addressing media here on Wednesday, he said police officers working on the stone-pelting investigation have not yet said anything much about their investigation. Yet, Chandrababu is going about the town saying YSRC is trying to implicate TD Vijayawada Central candidate Bonda Uma in the case. The opposition leaders statement is malicious. How come Naidu and other TD leaders are speculating about the person to be arrested? Do they know who carried out the attack, Ravichandra Reddy asked. He said Naidu believed that the craze for Jagan's bus yatra would subside after it crossed. But the yatra turned out to be a great hit in Vijayawada too. Naidu could not bear to see the yatra being a big hit in Vijayawada. He thus hatched the conspiracy of launching the stone attack on the Chief Minister and blaming YSRC for carrying out a self-attack. This is false, the senior leader stated. He charged that Telugu Desam has already become a bankrupt party. He said by the afternoon of June 4, TD will register another humiliating defeat in the 2024 general elections.

Jagan Intensifies Election Campaign by Changing Speech Patterns

VIJAYAWADA : Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has intensified his election campaign after the stone attack incident, with roadshows and public meetings from Thursday. Jagan Mohan Reddy has increased his pitch by intensifying the election campaign of the YSRC by attracting more crowds to his Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra roadshows and public meetings, which is claimed to be an added advantage to YSRC and its candidates. The Chief Minister took a break from the Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra on Wednesday on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami festival, stayed in the Tetali night stay camp, reviewing the party campaigns. He would resume the roadshows and public meetings on Thursday. Jagan Mohan Reddy did a review and analysis of the fulfilment of promises by the Telugu Desam and Jana Sena and explained his government's welfare and development initiatives for the past five years. He said these won accolades even in Krishna Delta and Godavari regions that had been seen as bastions to the Opposition. For instance, Vijayawada Central and East constituencies were strong bastions to TD. But, YSRC nominee Malladi Vishnu won the Central seat in the 2019 elections with a majority of only 25 votes, showing the stronghold of TD in Vijayawada city. But with the entry of Jagan Mohan Reddy, the scenario changed. People in large numbers joined the Bus Yatra of the CM, which passed through the middle of the city and it also led to the stone attack, on Saturday last. Jagan Mohan Reddy took a days break after the stone attack and resumed the yatra by increasing his verbal attacks on Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, through dynamite dialogues and by undertaking a public auditing of the Chandrababu governments performance in his last term. Changing his speech dynamics, Jagan Mohan Reddy said, Chandrababu gets high BP if we question his achievements or about the schemes he implemented during his term. He asked, Did Naidu bring Microsoft or host the Olympics in AP as he had promised in 2014? He came down heavily on the JS chief Pawan Kalyan, highlighting the changing of wives and constituencies like cars, which turned viral. Political analysts say the YSRC had a strong base in the Rayalaseema, Prakasam and Palnadu regions which helped in the success of the bus yatra but they expected a thinning of the crowds in Guntur, Krishna and coastal districts due to the huge support the TD, Jana Sena and BJP enjoyed there, but in vain. Traditionally TD holds a strong base in Guntur, Vijayawada, Krishna and NTR districts but huge turnouts were evident at Jagan Mohan Reddys road shows and public meetings in these regions, which worried the Opposition parties, they said. They also noted that the CM changed his speech pattern by trashing the claims of Naidu, and this is forcing the masses, mainly the youngsters to do fact checks about Chandrababus claims of bringing IT, cellphones, building Hyderabad and Cyberabad, Amaravati, Smart cities etc to AP. They stated that Jagan Mohan Reddy brought about development for Krishna Delta and the coastal regions, which would be an added advantage to the YSRC candidates.

Stone-pelting on CM Jagan: One More Suspect in Police Custody

Vijayawada : The police have taken one more suspect, identified as Vemula Durga Rao, for questioning in connection with Saturdays stone pelting on YSRC president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. With this, six suspects are learnt to be in police custody. Vemula Rao was picked up from the Vaddera Colony on Wednesday morning. He was taken to an undisclosed location for questioning as part of the ongoing inquiry into the case. His family members expressed concern over his safety. A few residents from the Vaddera Colony arrived at the office of the police commissioner and staged a protest. Earlier, police commissioner K.R. Tata announced that they got strong evidence and leads to zero in on the culprits and sounded confident to expedite the probe. How much progress has been made in the inquiry is unclear as the police are tight lipped. However, police sources maintain that they are handling the case very carefully to avoid any lapse. Meanwhile, the Opposition parties have been demanding a change of top brass of the police, holding them responsible for the breach of security to the VVIP. They approached the ECI and submitted a representation on these lines.

Families of suspects held for stone attack on CM Jagan stage protest

Vijayawada: Some residents of Vaddera Colony in Vijayawada staged a protest on Wednesday after police allegedly picked up another person in connection with the April 13 attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The family members of Durga Rao were worried over his whereabouts as they could not find him at the Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

TDP seeks ECIs intervention for fair probe into stone pelting on AP CM Jagan

Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday sought intervention by the Election Commission of India for a fair probe into the April 13 stone pelting incident in Vijayawada in which Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy suffered an injury on his forehead. Alleging that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Andhra Pradesh HC dismisses plea for JSPs election symbol

VIJAYAWADA : Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed the petition challenging the allocation of Glass Tumbler as Jana Sena Party election symbol on Tuesday. The petition was filed by Rashtriya Praja Congress (Secular) Party founder Meda Srinivas, seeking directions to the Election Commission of India to place the records pertaining to the allocation of Glass Tumbler as election symbol to JSP. Petitioners counsel MV Rajaram argued that they had applied for Glass Tumbler symbol on December 20, 2023, while the JSPs application for the same symbol dated December 12, 2023 was not in compliance with rules. For JSP, senior counsel Venugopala Rao argued that the symbol was allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis. ECI counsel Avinash Desai explained that a party has to apply for the symbol six months before the expiry of the tenure of the Assembly. As the term of the Assembly expires on June 11, they invited applications on December 12, 2023. The counsel maintained that JSP applied for the symbol on the same day while the petitioner filed the application on December 20. In a relief to JSP, the HC dismissed the plea.

AP HC Dismisses Petition on Jana Sena Symbol

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has dismissed a petition on Election Commission of India (ECI) allocating the glass tumbler symbol to Jana Sena Party for contesting the forthcoming elections. A single judge bench headed by Justice B. Krishna Mohan delivered this verdict here on Tuesday. Rajahmundry-based Rashtriya Praja Congress (Secular) founder president Meda Srinivas had filed the petition challenging ECIs decision to allot glass tumbler as symbol to the Jana Sena. Jana Senas counsel Venugopala Rao argued that the ECI allotted the symbol on first-cum-first-served basis. ECIs counsel Avinash Desai said as per rule, an application should be submitted for allotment of symbol six months before completion of term of the assembly comes to an end. The term of the current assembly would end on June 11. As JS had applied for allocation of the symbol on December 12, it had been taken into consideration, Desai maintained. Though the arguments had been completed earlier, the High Court had reserved its verdict on April 4 and delivered it on Tuesday.

YSRC Mandapeta candidate convicted in 28-year-old case

VIJAYAWADA : Nearly 28 years after tonsuring and shaving the moustache of two Dalit youths in Ramachandrapuram mandal, YSRC MLC Thota Trimurthulu and five others have been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment by the special court for SC/ST cases in Visakhapatnam. A fine of Rs 2.50 lakh was also imposed on them. However, the court immediately granted bail to Trimurthulu and the other convicted persons. The incident took place on December 29, 1996 in Venkatayapalem village in East Godavari district. Trimurthulu contested the 1994 elections as an independent from Ramachandrapuram Assembly constituency and won. During the elections, the victims, identified as Koti Chinna Raju and D Venkataratnam (daily wage workers in electricity department), worked for the BSP. They had an argument with the supporters of Trimurthulu during polling. After Trimurthulu, a Kapu leader, won the elections, cases were registered against the duo on charges of theft. This led to a confrontation between the supporters of the Kapu leaders and local Dalit youths which led to the incident. Raju and Venkataratnam along with three others were physically tortured and the duos heads were tonsured and their mustache shaved. Opposition leaders demand MLCs suspension Former minister and TDP leader KS Jawahar demanded the YSRC to suspend Trimurthulu from the party. The YSRC should immediately take action against Trimurthulu, if its claims of being pro-Dalit are true, he said. Meanwhile, legal experts said the verdict will not be a hindrance to him from contesting the elections as the Representation of the People Act, 1951, mandates immediate disqualification of any lawmaker who is convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years. Similarly, a person cannot contest if the conviction to imprisonment is not less than two years Trimurthulus trial saw over 140 adjournments A case under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act was booked and Trimurthulu was arrested. He was jailed for 87 days and later granted bail. The case took several turns with the victims allegedly being lured to convert to another religion so that the SC/ST Act could not be invoked against them. During this time, Trimurthulu, after winning his debut election, shifted to TDP and got elected again in 1999. He lost to Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose in the 2004 and 2009 elections. After the merger of Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress, Trimurthulu joined the grand old party and won in the bye-election in 2012. He contested from the TDP in 2014 and won. However, in 2019, he lost to YSRCs Ch Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna. After joining YSRC, he was made an MLC and is now contesting from Mandapeta Assembly constituency. The HC directed the trial court to speed up. Hence, the verdict was pronounced today. The trial saw more than 140 adjournments. Soon after the verdict, Trimurthulu filed an application for bail and was granted relief. Trimurthulu said he would respect the judgment and would appeal before the HC. TDP leader KS Jawahar demanded that the YSRC to suspend Trimurthulu from the party. Legal experts said the verdict will not be a hindrance to him from contesting the elections as the Representation of the People Act, 1951 mandates immediate disqualification of any lawmaker who is convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years.

Telangana girl ranks third in UPSC exam, becomes topper in Telugu States

VIJAYAWADA/HYDERABAD : After two years of self-preparation and a few months of training for her Anthropology paper, Donuru Ananya Reddy from Mahbubnagar district secured All India Rank (AIR) 3 in the Civil Services Exams (CSE) 2023 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. According to the results announced on Tuesday, Ananya secured the top rank among aspirants from the Telugu states and is also the highest-scoring woman candidate this year. After completing high school, Ananya pursued Humanities and then graduated in Geography from Miranda House, in 2021. This was her first attempt and she hopes to join the IAS. Nandala Saikiran (AIR 27), Merugu Kaushik (AIR 82), Penkisu Dheeraj Reddy (AIR 173), G. Akshay Deepak (AIR 196), Ganesna Bhanushree Lakshmi Annapurna (AIR 198), N Pradeep Reddy (AIR 382), Banna Venkatesh (AIR 467), D Hariprasad Raju (AIR 475), P Dhanush (AIR 480), K Srinivasulu (AIR 526), Nellore Sai Teja (AIR 558), M Naga Bharat (AIR 580), P Bhargav (AIR 590), K Arpita (AIR 639), Aishwarya Nellisyamala (AIR 649), Sakshi Kumari (AIR 679), Chauhan Rajkumar (AIR 703), G Swetha (AIR 711), V Dhanunjay Kumar (AIR 810), Lakshmi Banothu (AIR 828), Ada Sandeep Kumar (AIR830), Jagannadham Rahul (AIR 873), Hanitha Vemulapaty (AIR 887), K Sashikant (AIR 891), K Meena (AIR 899), Ravuri Sai Alekhya (AIR 938), and Gowada Navasree at (AIR 995) are among the candidates from the Telugu States who secured top ranks. First attempt Ananya secured the top rank among aspirants from the Telugu states and is also the highest-scoring woman candidate this year. After completing high school, Ananya pursued Humanities and then graduated in Geography from Miranda House, in 2021. This was her first attempt and she hopes to join the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) UPSC recommends 1,016 toppers for various posts Among them, Nandala Saikiran, Merugu Kaushik, Ganeshna Bhanusri Lakshmi Annapurna, Kadumuri Hari Prasad Raju, K Sreenivasulu, Jagannadham Rahul, Hanitha Vemulapaty, and Govada Navyasree are from Andhra Pradesh. Apart from Ananya, reports say that 50 candidates from the Telugu states have been selected for appointments in various services. Speaking to TNIE, Hanitha said she prepared for the exam independently and received training at CSB IAS Academy in Hyderabad for the Mains exam, and attended maths test series at Analog IAS Academy in Hyderabad. Emphasising the flexibility of her self-study schedule, she said number of hours spent studying did not matter. Patience, hard work, persistence, and perseverance will always pay off, she added. A native of Visakhapatnam, Hanitha completed Class X from Timpany School. She studied Intermediate at FIT JEE Visakhapatnam. She was selected into IIT-Kharagpur, where she was studying Food Engineering, but had to drop out due to health issues. Subsequently, she completed her BA at IGNOU. Her mother, V Indira works as an ICDS supervisor in the Women Development and Child Welfare Department, while her father, V Raghavendra Rao works as a senior inspector of stores in Indian Railways. The preliminary exams were held on May 28 last year, followed by Mains in September. Personal interviews were conducted from January to April this year. UPSC recommended a total of 1,016 candidates for appointment to various prestigious services. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy congratulated Ananya Reddy, Nandala Saikiran, Merugu Kaushik, and all Telugu-speaking aspirants who cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination. He wished them success and a bright future.

AP election body awaits ECI order on JD symbol

Vijayawada: AP election authorities are awaiting a revised order from the Election Commission of India (ECI) with regard to allotment of symbol Glass Tumbler to Jana Sena. The development has come after the High Court dismissed a petition challenging allotment of the tumbler symbol to Jana Sena on Tuesday. The JS gets a big relief from HC on allotment of the symbol. But as it is only a registered and not a recognised party yet, Jana Sena contestants will be allotted the Glass Tumbler symbol only in the constituencies they are contesting the elections from. In other constituencies, where Jana Sena is not contesting, the Glass Tumbler symbol can be allotted to other candidates. ECI allots exclusive party symbols only to recognised political parties.

PIB tracking fake news, misleading and false info through Fact Check Unit

VIJAYAWADA: The first meeting of the Inter Media Publicity Coordination Committee (IMPCC) was held at the Central Government Offices Complex here on Tuesday. PIB ADG Rajinder Chaudhry said the primary agenda of the meeting was to have a coordinated approach to ensure action in response to any Fake News, misleading information etc and also suitable propagation of the SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) Programme. The meeting decided that the members would keep a close watch on any news or information that may be misleading or false and make suitable use of the Fact Check Unit of PIB. Any information regarding its genuineness or otherwise could be sought at fact check WhatsApp No.91-8799711259 or group of PIB fact units or E-mailed factcheck@pib.gov.in . The meeting was chaired by the Press Information Bureau additional director general (ADG) Rajinder Chaudhry. Representatives of government bodies and of the Railway, Postal, Income Tax, KVIC, Airport Authority, AIIMS, NYKS, NSSO, Doordarshan, AIR, PIB, Central Bureau of Communication, AP Information and Public Relations Department, Lead Bank (Union Bank of India), FCI and of the School of Planning and Architecture were present. PIB Vijayawada Director GD Hallikeri, CBC director P Ratnakar and others were also present.

CBI probe in Viveka murder case has loopholes: Kadapa MP

VIJAYAWADA : Asserting that he was innocent and in no way connected to the murder of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy five years ago, Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy said that he and his family suffered for the past three years under false allegations. In a point-to-point rebuttal to N Suneetha, his cousin sister and daughter of YS Vivekananda Reddy, who made startling allegations against Avinash on Monday, the Kadapa MP said he is unable to understand why he and his family were wantonly targeted. Disputing the claims of Suneeta and YS Sharmila that his family and YS Vivekananda Reddys family were having a feud running between them, Avinash Reddy said nothing can be far from the truth. Had it been true then why Viveka uncle would campaign for me? Most importantly why would I be contacted immediately after his death, he asked. He further asserted that the CBIs investigation has been compromised and is full of loopholes. How can a person, who testified that he had murdered, be made into an approver and allowed to roam free on bail? How can Suneethas statements before CBI and SIT keep on changing? he questioned. Elaborating further, Avinash said in her initial statement Suneetha said she learned of the letter found at the crime scene from her husband N Rajasekhara Reddy which was a letter purportedly written by her father mentioning driver Prasad as suspected killer. She told CBI that it was forwarded to her husband through Vivekananda Reddys PA Krishna Reddy. She further said she was afraid and suspected that the letter might have been fabricated to blame Prasad and that he might be killed after the letter came out, he added. However, she took a U-turn in her statement a month later and distanced herself from the issue of the letter, he added Recalling what happened on the day of the incident, Avinash Reddy said that when he was on his way to Jammalamadugu for campaigning, he received a call from Shivaprakash Reddy, who is the blood brother of Sowbhagyamma, Vivekananda Reddys wife, that Viveka sir had died and asked him to come. I received the phone call at around 6.26 am and I reached there by 6.30 am. Went inside, saw the body, came out and informed the police, and expressed my suspicions, he clarified. According to him, Yerragangi Reddy came at 7.10 am and by that time, hundreds of people were present there. Why would I steal the evidence? If I had that motive, would I not do it, when there were only a few people when I reached there? Making illogical allegations, I am being dragged into a case that is in no way related to me, Avinash expressed. On Google Takeout, being shown as evidence, he said even Google itself says the programme is unreliable and it can also be fabricated. He observed that an investigation is being carried out on hearsay evidence of Dastagiri, who in the first place is an accused. He also disputed the records of WhatsApp messages that night and said he was sleeping at that time and had not attended to the phone in the first place. Even when my mobile is in the ideal state it receives messages and none of them were from Gangireddy and there were no outgoing messages, Avinash pointed out. He briefed that the statement from P Rajasekhar, working in Vivekananda Reddys house, clearly shows that A1 to A4 in the case were very close to the former minister and that Sowbhagyamma forced him to go to Kanipakam after the murder. Further it was also evident that for two years before his murder, Viveka uncle was neglected by his family and was under stress that he over consumed alcohol and overused cigarettes, the Kadapa MP stated. On the issue of the heart attack, Avinash said he never said that, and the statement given to SIT by Suneetha and her husband says that Krishna Reddy informed them of Vivekas death and that the body was lying in the bathroom with injuries on the body. As Viveka was a heart patient, they assumed that he might have died of a cardiac arrest and asked Krishna Reddy to tell the same. It was Suneetha and her husband who had hidden the evidence and facts, he alleged. The Kadapa MP also said there was never an issue regarding the Lok Sabha seat. I was made Kadapa MP in 2014 and again in 2019. Viveka uncle even on the day before his death while campaigning for me and going door-to-door covering 300 houses, asked people to vote for his sonsJagan and Avinash, who are like Ram Lakshman. Where all these illogical allegations are coming, I dont understand, he said. Avinash alleged that his cousin sisters Sharmila and Suneetha are reading the script of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and acting as per his directions.

VIT-AP signs MoU with Neuralix Inc

VIJAYAWADA : VIT-AP University signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Neuralix Inc to advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) knowledge and research. Neuralix Inc, a leading AI startup, specialising in digital transformation across various industries, and VIT-AP University have formalised a collaboration aimed at enhancing education, research, and innovation in AI technology. The MoU signified a shared commitment to explore and advance AI across diverse areas. The partnership brings together Neuralix Incs expertise in sectors such as Oil & Gas, Manufacturing Retail and Energy with VIT-AP Universitys academic prowess and research capabilities. Neuralix Inc CEO and founder Dr Jayaram said, This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our AI innovation.

Inspection conducted at Vijayawada railway station - The New Indian Express

Inspection conducted at Vijayawada railway station The New Indian Express

Inspection conducted at Vijayawada railway station

VIJAYAWADA : Narendra A Patil, DRM, Vijayawada Division, South Central Railway (SCR) conducted a surprise inspection of catering stalls at Vijayawada railway station on Tuesday. He inspected catering stalls from platform no.1, including Rail Dhaba, catering stalls, IRCTC fast food units, and water vending machines. During the inspection, the DRM checked the quality of food, hygiene standards, and customer service at the stalls. He also scrutinised the expiry dates on the food articles being sold and ensured the sale of approved articles. He interacted with vendors and passengers, seeking feedback and suggestions for improvement. He emphasised the importance of maintaining high standards of cleanliness and quality in food being served to passengers. Patil also directed the vendors to display menu boards with prices and ensure proper waste disposal. He instructed the catering staff to maintain high standards and take necessary corrective action to address any deficiencies. The DRM also suggested the officers and staff gear up on all fronts to handle the summer rush and make additional arrangements for water supply to quench the thirst of passengers. He suggested officers make frequent visits to railway stations and keep a tab on cleanliness, and proper functioning of amenities and prevent excess charging. 171st anniversary of Indian Railways celebrated The Vijayawada Division of SCR celebrated the 171 anniversary of the Indian Railways on Tuesday in a grand manner. To mark the occasion, a cake-cutting ceremony was held at the Divisional Conference hall, DRM Office, Vijayawada. Narendra A Patil, Divisional Railway Manager along with branch officers were present.

Severe heatwave conditions likely in 46 mandals in Andhra on April 17

VIJAYAWADA : The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a heatwave alert in isolated pockets in Coastal Andhra Pradesh and thunderstorm activity in isolated pockets across the State on Wednesday and Thursday. According to APSMDA, severe heatwave conditions are likely in 46 mandals and heatwave conditions in 175 mandals on Wednesday. While 88 mandals in the State experienced severe heatwave conditions, while 89 mandals experienced heatwave conditions on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the State largely experienced hot and humid conditions with daytime temperatures being above 40 degrees Celsius at most places. The highest daytime temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius was recorded at Kovilam of Srikakulam district, followed by 45.2 degrees Celsius at Tummakapalle in Viziangaram district, 45.1 degrees Celsius in Ravikamatam of Anakapalle district, 44.4 degrees Maukkuva of Paravathipuram Manyam district, 44.3 degrees Celsius in Gospadu of Nandyal.

Jagan Seeks Votes to Continue Welfare Schemes

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has called upon the people to support the YSRC in the present elections to enable him continue with the welfare schemes of his first term. We conceived and implemented these schemes without any corruption and discrimination, the Chief Minister said while addressing a public meeting held as part of the partys Memantha Siddham programme at Bhimavaram in West Godavari district on Tuesday. Jagan Mohan Reddy said, The present elections are not meant just to elect MLAs and MPs. The results will be crucial for future of the the state for the next five years. We will continue with the series of welfare schemes benefitting every section of the people. The elections will decide whether the welfare schemes will continue or stop. The other parties have no interest in these schemes. I urge the voters to not get carried away by the false promises made by Telugu Desam chief Chandababu Naidu. The electoral fight is between the poor with whom I stand for their welfare, and the fraud represented by Naidu. The Chief Minister said Naidu and his adopted son, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, were suffering from high blood pressure and they were turning hysterical when their faults were exposed. They start cursing and abusing me. He asked Naidu whether he was not involving in backstabbing, fraud, cheating, telling lies and resorting to conspiracies all through his political career. The people remember Naidu by such traits, he said. Jagan Mohan Reddy said Pawan Kalyan was making a mockery of institution of marriage by changing wives four to five years, just as he changed cars. If this is the trend he is setting, what could be the fate of women, he asked. The CM criticised him for even changing his Assembly segments for electoral fight. He said that as the Opposition parties were shooting arrows at him, these would also hit the welfare schemes. Jagan Mohan Reddy cited his progress report, listing a series of welfare schemes and development works he carried out in the last five years, and urged the people to vote for the YSRC if they wanted the welfare schemes to continue. These are benefiting the pensioners, women, students, farmers and several other sections of the people. I urge them to support me and the YSRC in the present elections. He also listed the series of developmental works being taken up by his government - like setting up 17 medical colleges, four sea ports, 10 fishing harbours, six fish landing centres, restructuring of districts into 26, setting up 15,000 village/ward secretariats, 11,000 RBKs, getting `1 lakh crore investment and a host of other initiatives. Do you want volunteers to be back at your doorstep, he asked, and said, If so, they should support the YSRC in the elections.

The Sleep Company Launches Eighth Outlet in Hyderabad Plans to Double Total Stores in India

Hyderabad : The Sleep Company, makers of mattresses, chairs and others, launched its eighth outlet in Hyderabad at Himayatnagar. It will showcase its mattresses, recliner beds, pillows, office chairs, and recliner sofas. The mattresses have about 2,500 air channels that keep it cool. The company calls this SmartGrid technology and it has patent for this. With plans to launch over 150 stores nationwide by the end of 2024, we are poised to bring our sleep solutions closer to customers across the country, said Priyanka Salot, co-founder, The Sleep Company. Now, it has 75 company-owned and company-operated stores in the country. Two more outlets are planned in Hyderabad. Sleep deprivation is a major issue across the key metro cities in India. Many are sleep deprived due to busy lifestyles, social media addiction etc. Studies show a direct correlation between lack of sleep and increase in obesity and hypertension. Telangana has a high incidence of obesity and hypertension cases, she said. It is also present in Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur and Warangal, a release said.

APCRDA destroys illegal structures in unauthorised ventures

AP Capital Region Development Authority home page. AP Capital Region Development Authority home page. Vijayawada: The Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) on Monday destroyed internal roads and survey stones of the real estate venture in which an unauthorised layout was laid at Kanchikacherla in the NTR district without obtaining approval from it. APCRDA commissioner Vivek Yadav has given directions to the officials to destroy the unauthorised layouts within the limits of the CRDA. Officials destroyed one such layout at Kanchikacherla and removed the survey stones and internal roads by using excavators. They also destroyed the layout in RS No.433/2A at Kanchikacherla. Vivek Yadav warned the real estate people against selling plots without obtaining permission from the APCRDA and said this was a crime and they were punishable. He reminded the people that they would lose money if they purchased unauthorised plots in these layouts. They would also be responsible for the actions, he said. The commissioner told the people that those who purchased plots in the unauthorised layouts should not start any building construction. People who have any information regarding the unauthorised layouts and constructions could inform the APCRDA officials, he said. They may send the information to the WhatsApp number 7095599838 or to the APCRDA official website, he added.

Gold rates in Vijayawada surges, check the rates on 16 April 2024 - The Hans India

Gold rates in Vijayawada surges, check the rates on 16 April 2024 The Hans India

'Were winning, the attack wont shake my resolve,' asserts CM Jagan after poll campaign attack

VIJAYAWADA : Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday said the attack on him on Saturday has only increased his resolve to serve the people. Such attacks would not shake me. On the contrary, they only strengthen my commitment to you, he asserted. Unidentified youths attacked Jagan while he was on his State-wide Memanta Siddham bus yatra, by throwing a stone at him in Vijayawada. He suffered an injury on his forehead and took rest on Sunday on the advice of doctors. He resumed his yatra from Kesarapalle on the outskirts of the city after meeting a host of party leaders at the campsite. Responding to the attack on him for the first time at a public meeting in Gudivada, he said: (Opposition leader) Chandrababu Naidu, his foster son (referring to Pawan Kalyan), the BJP and the Congress are attacking me despite the fact that I have done my best for the welfare of the people. Shooting one arrow at Arjuna does not mean that the Kauravas have won. Throwing a single stone at me will not stop me or shake my resolve to serve you, Jagan declared. He said it was unfortunate that the Opposition alliance had stooped to the level of targeting him personally. This shows that we are close to victory. We are winning, he asserted. Jagan said the wound on his forehead will recover in 10 days, but the wound inflicted by Naidu on the poor will fester forever. I am standing here with courage after delivering on the promises made to the people of Andhra Pradesh. On the other side, there are conspirators who have their foundations in falsehood and deception, Jagan added. Highlighting the failed promises of Naidu and how he made mockery of welfare schemes when he was in power, the Chief Minister said: Naidu ridiculed the free power supply to farmers, English medium education in government schools, and even went to court seeking a stay on construction of free houses for the poor. Jagan added that while his government had brought revolutionary changes, Naidu looted villages in the name of Janmabhoomi Committees. We have give assistance to the farmers through RBKs, free electricity for nine hours, and provided permanent land rights for 35 lakh acres, he said. In the last 58 months, we have brought changes which are visible in every household. We are the only State in the country that gives `3,000 as pension. Ten fishing harbours are coming up in the State and Bhogapuram Airport work is in full swing. We are consistently topping the Ease of Doing Business ranking, Jagan asserted. Trusting Naidu is like handing over your keys to the thief. Its like placing your head in the tigers mouth, he quipped. Jagans security cover enhanced After the attack, CM Jagans security cover was enhanced on Monday. Senior officials said security cover was increased by 30% in the routes which Jagan will take during his campaign. A DSP rank official was appointed to monitor security arrangements & route clearance drills. YSRC leaders are required to stick to the route map. Now, DSPs will be engaged in route clearance and area domination, instead of CIs.

Vijayawada CP announces cash reward of Rs 2 lakhs for information on attack against CM's poll campaign

VIJAYAWADA : NTR District Commissioner of Police Kanthi Rana Tata has announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh to those who provide information or recordings or photographs that could lead to the identification and arrest of the person who hurled a stone at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Sri Vivekananda School on Daba Kottu road during his Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra on Saturday night. In the incident, the Chief Minister suffered an injury on his forehead while former minister and Vijayawada Central YSRCP candidate Velampalli Srinivasa Rao injured his left eye. Addressing mediapersons on Monday, the CP exuded confidence that police will catch the culprit soon and revealed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) with eight officers of various ranks has been constituted with the officials who earlier worked in the city in crime and Task force wings to arrest the accused attacker. A Rs 2 lakh reward will be given to those who provide information and video footage, CCTV footage, or photos, leading to the arrest of the accused. Informants details will be kept confidential. They could approach K Srinivasa Rao, DCP, NRT police commissioner, or R Sriharibabu ADCP Task Force to give information directly, said Kanthi Rana Tata. 56 persons questioned, CCTV footage from 24 locations examined, says Rana Based on a complaint lodged by Velampalli Srinivasa Rao, Ajit Singh Nagar police registered a case under charges of attempt to murder, and formed as many as eight teams to identify those behind the stone-pelting. Rana further explained that a total of around 1,500 police personnel were roped in for bandobast duties during Jagan Mohan Reddys bus campaign and along with the additional forces at identified problematic locations. Vijayawada City Police Commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata with Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena on Monday | Express Clarifying on why power supply was disconnected at the place of incident, Rana asserted that it was done as a measure of safety for the chief minister. He explained that electrical wires and other cables in the area crisscrossed, posing a high probability of electrocution. The allegations claiming that power was disconnected intentionally are completely baseless. It is a standard procedure during any VIP campaign on a bus or open top vehicle, he maintained. Asked whether the accused used an airgun or slingshot to attack Jagan, he said that there was no evidence to this effect. We are assuming that the attacker might have picked the stone and hurled it at the CM when he reached the school around 8.06 pm on Saturday. The police are examining the attack from all possible angles. We have made a thorough inspection of the crime scene and collected evidence, he added. Rana further said that so far 56 persons in the locality were called for questioning and teams are carrying on door-to-door interrogation. CCTV camera clippings from 24 locations are being examined. In addition, we are taking the statements of live witness accounts into consideration, he said.

'It is the party's right to seek thorough probe': YSRC leader Sajjala on attack against CM

VIJAYAWADA: Taking exception to the Opposition parties for claiming that the attack on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was staged, YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Monday said the Opposition is levelling such allegations as their existence is at stake. Asserting that it was their right to demand for a thorough probe, Sajjala said, It was Jagan who was attacked and MLA Velampalli Srinivas was injured in the incident. The attack was not carried out on TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu or JSP president Pawan Kalyan. Stating that TDP leaders were making the attack look like a stage-managed one, he said, They are asking about the failure of the police, why power supply was snapped and even demanding for a CBI enquiry. However, we are concerned about who the attacker is. The YSRC leader said all the points raised by the TDP have to be assessed by the department which is looking after the Chief Ministers security. The administration is being run by the Election Commission and it is supervising the probe, he noted.

'Jagan has a PhD in uttering lies beautifully to deceive people': TDP leader Naidu

VIJAYAWADA : Continuing his broadside against Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu said there is no connection between what the YSRC president says and what he does. Addressing the Praja Galam meeting at Rajam Assembly constituency on Monday, Naidu said Jagan utters lies beautifully to deceive the people. He has a PhD in uttering lies, he quipped. Asserting that the overwhelming response to public meetings of TDP and its allies shows which way people are leaning, the TDP chief said post-elections, NDA will form government in the State. Naidu accused Jagan of totally debilitating the irrigation projects in North Andhra. Our government had spent Rs 1,600 crore on these projects while Jagan has spent a mere Rs 594 crore in these five years, he added. Criticising the ruling party for politicising the stone pelting on the Chief Minister, Naidu dismissed the incident as high drama meant to evoke public sympathy. Jagan is a master in blaming others for the crime committed by him, he observed. On the issue of Bhogapuram Airport, the TDP supremo said it should have been completed by now, if not for Jagans negligence. He assured that all the units that were shut in the region would be reopened once the alliance formed the government. He said while the public turnout to Praja Galam meetings is genuine, those attending Jagans meetings are paid workers. Jagan is spending Rs 25 crore per meeting. If he had spent this money on his advisors, irrigation projects in North Andhra would have been completed by now, he remarked. Later, addressing the Praja Galam meeting in Palasa, he recalled how he camped at Palasa during the Titli cyclone to ensure normalcy was restored and cyclone victims were taken care of. Despite being in Vizianagaram back then, Jagan didnt visit the victims of the cyclone, he pointed out. Listing out various promises of TDP and its allies, Naidu said the YSRC government hasnt conducted DSC in the past five years. As many as 75% of the teachers in AP were recruited during the TDP regime through 11 DSCs. My first signature after winning will be on the DSC. I will fill all the vacant posts in the police department, too, he promised.

AP: Vijayawada cops had raised concern over CMs campaign route, says police

VIJAYAWADA : Even as investigation continues into the attack on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's during his Memantha Siddham campaign in Vijayawada on Saturday, several questions remain unanswered as to why the Chief Minister spent more than five hours on the route in Vijayawada city which made him a sitting duck for the attack. Senior police officials, on condition of anonymity, told TNIE that Vijayawada city police had initially expressed their reservation and concern over Jagans safety when the CMs programme coordination team and other officials concerned came up with the route map, which showed that the cavalcade would have to pass through congested localities in Vijayawada. It is also learnt that Vijayawada police examined the proposed routes and suggested alternative routes in order to avoid untoward incidents during the Chief Ministers tour in the city. However, the plan was not changed and the programme coordination team stuck to the original route proposed. After completing his tour in Guntur district on Saturday afternoon, Jagan entered Vijayawada at Kanaka Durgamma Varadhi as Devineni Avinash, Velampalli Srinivasa Rao, Shaik Asif, Jogi Ramesh and others welcomed him. Proceeding further, the cavalcade of Jagan crossed the junction and took the Water tank road which is 60 feet wide having electrical wires and other cables dangling. At one point of time, Jagan found it very difficult to stand on the bus as tree branches and cables touched him several times, said a local resident of Labbipet. Jagans bus yatra from Labbipet to Ramavarappadu junction covered major junctions like Sikhamani centre, Nice Bar junction, Metro Junction, Chuttugunta junction, BRTS road point, Food Junction, sharp curve at Gowtham Reddys house, narrow bridge at Ajith Singh Nagar and another narrow Daba Kottu centre road and then to Pipula Road and reached Ramavarappadu via inner ring road. In the entire eight kilometre stretch from Labbipet to Pipula Road junction, Jagan travelled around 4 kilometres in the congested roads and problematic locations, where there is a possibility of serious breach of security. In some places, the road is less than 40 feet wide, a senior official said on the condition of anonymity. Sources told TNIE that Vijayawada police suggested an alternative route through Benz circle and other roads. However, the programme coordination team ignored he caution and asked the police to make security arrangements for the chief ministers convoy on the original route. The route which was proposed by the programme coordination team was planned in a manner that it would benefit two MLA candidates Devineni Avinash and Velampalli Srinivasa Rao who are contesting from East and Central constituencies. In order to create more impact, Jagan was taken in narrow roads and densely populated areas, another official from the intelligence department said. During the entire journey, both the intelligence department and NTR district police were on tenterhooks with the convoy moving through the narrow lanes. However, the convoy passed without any hitch through the places where trouble was anticipated. Police were worried about places like Sikhamani centre, Food junction and a narrow curve behind the food junction, but something unexpected happened at Vivekananda School, sources said.

Government school students in AP can now retain textbooks

VIJAYAWADA : Progress reports will be distributed to students on April 23, the last day before the schools close for the academic year, said Principal Secretary (School Education) Praveen Prakash and stated that starting this year, students will no longer need to return their textbooks to the schools; instead, they will retain them for reference purposes. He further said that building on the success of last years parent-teacher meeting held on the final day of the academic year, similar arrangements are expected this year. Like in previous years, parents will receive their childs annual exam progress report and have the opportunity to discuss their childs progress with teachers during the meeting, he added. Meanwhile, principals and teachers are tasked with ensuring 100% parent attendance at these meetings. Class teachers are directed to remind parents about the upcoming meeting on April 23. Principals are encouraged to promote reading among students by recommending science and social science books from the past two academic years, both during the school year and summer vacation. Prakash emphasised the benefits of revisiting previously studied subjects, noting that it solidifies understanding and improves English comprehension through bilingual reading. All related e-books will be available on the cse.ap.gov.in website. Prakash discouraged the practice of students returning their textbooks at the end of the academic year to the school libraries, stating that textbooks are the students property and serve as references for the following year. Pravin Prakash also instructed District Education Officers (DEOs) to ensure that schools do not collect textbooks under the guise of setting up libraries.

AP government join hands with NIRDPR to boost skill development initiatives in state

VIJAYAWADA : The Department of Skills Development and Training, under the leadership of Principal Secretary (Department of Skills Development and Training) S Suresh Kumar, held a high-level meeting with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) director general VG Narendra Kumar, and his team at NIRDPR Rajendranagar in Hyderabad on Monday. Discussions centred around leveraging technology and innovative approaches to enhance the impact of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), a flagship skill development programme. One of the key proposals was the creation of Skill Experience Centres in a few places in the State. These centres would provide career counselling, real-time exposure to vocational courses through interactive digital platforms, and aspiration-building activities. The aim is to substantially reduce dropout rates in DDU-GKY centres by making the experience more engaging and informative for prospective trainees. Additionally, the meeting explored the possibility of setting up a Center of Excellence (CoE) in partnership with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Singapore. The Government of India has identified NIRDPR as the national agency for setting up CoE in the States. This Centre of Excellence would follow a plug-and-play model, offering dual certification programmes and language-focused training to cater to country specific job requirements. The hub-and-spoke model would enable the establishment of standalone CoEs, as well as integration with existing SEEDAP (Society for Employment Generation and Enterprise Development in Andhra Pradesh) centres.

LS polls: 526 cVIGIL complaints resolved in the NTR district

VIJAYAWADA : Since the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in the district, a total of 526 complaints have been received through cVIGIL app, all of which have been meticulously examined and resolved, said NTR District Collector S Dilli Rao on Monday.. In addition to the cVIGIL app complaints, a total of 1,331 complaints were received through various channels such as the Voter Helpline, National Grievance Services Portal (NGSP), and others. Of these, 1,303 complaints have been resolved, with the remaining under progress. Notably, all 211 complaints received via the Voter Helpline (1950) have been successfully addressed. Furthermore, out of the 407 complaints received through NGSP, 403 have been resolved, and 27 out of 31 complaints received via WhatsApp (9154970454) have been addressed. Similarly, 22 out of 31 complaints received through the call centre (0866-2570051) have been resolved. Moreover, 48 out of 58 complaints registered through the Complaint Management System (CMS) have been resolved, along with nine out of 13 complaints received through CEO mails. Additionally, 57 out of 63 issues related to negative news have been resolved, the Collector said. He also conducted a comprehensive review of various election-related aspects in his chamber at the Collectorate and held discussions on arrangements for the nomination process, implementation of the MCC, activities at the integrated command control room, arrangements for election observers, and the implementation of the Election Seizure Management System. Furthermore, discussions on elections staff training programmes were held, with valuable suggestions provided.

Throwing a stone at me will not avert the defeat of evil and rich forces: CM Jagan

VIJAYAWADA : After the stone-pelting incident, the injured Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has returned to continue the Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra with renewed vigour. As Jagan Mohan Reddy stepped out of the Kesarapalle stay camp after a days rest, he was warmly greeted by party leaders and activists on Monday. Despite the challenges he faced, Jagan Mohan Reddys spirit remained high, reflecting his commitment to continue the bus yatra, party leaders said. The CM said the attack against him would increase his sense of commitment to serve the people, not diminish it. He was addressing the first public meeting at Nagavarappadu in Gudivada after unidentified miscreants attacked him during his Memantha Siddham Yatra near Vijayawada on Saturday. Maybe the wound on my forehead will heal in 10 days, but the wounds inflicted by Chandrababu on the poor people are forever, said the CM. Jagan Mohan Reddy said, From Chandrababu, vested media to BJP and Congress, everyone is attacking me while I did my best for the peoples welfare. I am not afraid. Shooting one arrow at Arjuna does not mean that the Kauravas have won. Such attacks will not shake my resolve, and it means that we are so close to victory, and they are so far from it, asserted the CM. He asked, Are you all ready to fight against the Opposition for the welfare of the people, the future of the poor, and to continue all the schemes for another five years? I am standing here with courage after delivering the promises made to the people of Andhra Pradesh. On the other side, there are conspirators whose foundations are lies and deceptions, he stated. Highlighting the failed promises and mockery of welfare schemes by Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister said, Naidu ridiculed the schemes for free electricity to farmers, English medium in government schools, free houses to the poor and went to court to stall these. The YSRC government has brought revolutionary changes, but Chandrababu looted villages in the name of Janmabhoomi Committees. We are giving assistance and assurances to the farmers through RBKs, free electricity for nine hours during the day, provided permanent land rights for `35 lakh acres, Jagan Mohan Reddy said. He said, In the last 58 months, we have brought enough changes which are visible in every village and household. We are the only state in the country that gives Rs 3,000 as welfare pension. Ten fishing harbours are coming up in the state, the Bhogapuram Airport work is in full swing, and three industrial corridors are being erected, we are consistently topping the Ease of Doing Business ranking. We have fulfilled 99 per cent of the 2029 poll promises by considering our Manifesto as Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran, explained the CM. Jagan Reddy said that in 2014, Chandrababu formed an alliance and made promises to every household, including signing off farm loan waiver, waiving off loans for savings societies, depositing Rs 25,000 after the birth of a female child, providing unemployment benefits, but he did not fulfil these promises. At the campsite, many leaders of other political parties including Telugu Desam joined the YSRC in the presence of Jagan Mohan Reddy. The CM expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of support and emphasised the need to stand firm against cowardly acts. He urged party leaders to keep reaching out to the people and ensuring the success of the Memantha Siddham Yatra.

Naidu and his cronies hatched the conspiracy to kill Jagan, says minister

Vijayawada: Minister for water resources Ambati Rambabu has alleged that Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu and his cronies hatched a conspiracy to kill Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Addressing the media on Monday, the minister claimed that the stone might have been thrown at the CM by using a catapult or any other instrument The whole state is shocked thinking why this action was done on the chief minister of a state. Chandrababu, Lokesh and Pawan Kalyan expressed suspicions, terming it a pre-election drama by the YSRC. They also falsely stated that last time before the election, the drama was played with Kodikatthi for sympathy. Jagan Mohan Reddy never engaged in politics for sympathy, he claimed. We have confidence that if the people cast their votes for the YSRC, it will win 175 seats. Rambabu recalled that due to the selection of Amaravati as a new capital by Chandrababu, all his relatives invested lakhs of crores here, expecting a `100 return for every one rupee invested. But, after Jagan Reddy came to power, he declared three capitals. Soon after this, the multiplication of income stopped. Now, Chandrababu's cronies are conspiring against our leader, thinking that they will be financially damaged if Jagan continues in power. Naidu is plotting and promoting violence with his own class. I am the only one warning Chandrababu and Pawan on behalf of all the people of the state. This time the people will not forgive you if a stone falls on our leader, he warned.

YSRC Lodges Complaints Against Cine Actors Balakrishna and Pawan Kalyan

Vijayawada : YSRC lodged two separate complaints against Telugu Desam MLA and cine hero Nandamuri Balakrishna and Jana Sena chief and actor Pawan Kalyan for making abusive and derogatory comments against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy by violating the election norms and rules. YSRC legal cell state president Manohar Reddy with other leaders lodged the complaints against the two on Monday. Manohar Reddy said Balakrishna continued to engage in an election campaign replete with personal remarks and which are not complete without personal attacks on YSRC chief Jagan Reddy and the YSRC candidates. We requested EC to look into the campaign speech of Balakrishna on 13.04.2024 at the Kadiri public meeting for the violations of the Model Code of Conduct and take appropriate action. Similarly Pawan Kalyan has drawn alarming parallels between the incident in Sri Lanka, where antigovernment protesters overran and ransacked the Sri Lankan President's official residence, and the residence of CM Jagan Mohan Reddy in Tadepalli, he said. These remarks are not only inflammatory but are also designed to incite the public and the party's cadre to engage in extrajudicial actions against CM Jagan at his home. It is important to note that such comments exceed the bounds of acceptable political discourse and are likely to provoke attacks on Jagan Mohan Reddy and his family. Manohar Reddy said, We requested EC to look into the campaign speech of Pawan Kalyan on 14.04.2024 in the Tenali assembly constituency in Guntur district and the violations of the Model Code of Conduct by way of him making inflammatory and personal remarks, and take appropriate action.

Opposition Leaders Sidelining Issue of Stone Attack on CM Jagan, Says YSRC

Vijayawada : YSRC general-secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has said the overwhelming response from the people for the Memantha Siddham bus yatra made the opposition shiver in their pants. The opposition says that the attack on the CM was a security lapse. They are trying to sideline the issue for fear that opposition the blame will fall on them, he said. Ramakrishna Reddy questioned whether anyone would ever planan attack on himself. It is ironic that when there was an attack on the CM, the opposition leaders termed it as a drama. Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy does not know how to act and is frank on all issues, unlike the opposition. Referring to the Alipiri incident, he pointed out that Chandrababu Naidu tried to draw public attention to the incident by wrapping a bandage to his arm and making a show if it. He seeks to advance elections to win the polls with the help of the Alipiri incident. He said the opposition was unable to bear the sight of the huge response from the people for the Memantha Siddham bus yatra and they planned an attack on CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. He explained that the TD was afraid the blame would fall on them and was trying to divert the issue by saying the incident happened due to security lapses. Currently, the issue is under the Election Commissions purview and the inquiry will be conducted as per the directives of the EC. MLA and former minister Vellampalli Srinivas was also injured during the attack on CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. As victims, we have the right to demand that the perpetrators be arrested.

Attack on me indicates we are close to winning big: Andhra CM

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Monday that the attack on him indicated that the YSR Congress Party is very close to winning big in the next months elections. In his first reaction to Saturdays stone attack on him in Vijayawada, Jagan Mohan Reddy said this would increase his willingness Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

AP CM Attack: Police Confident of Nabbing Assailant

Vijayawada: Police have confirmed that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was hit by a stone at a great force from the left side under the cover of darkness and heavy crowd surge at about 8.04 pm on April 13. An unidentified person targeted the CM when the Memantha Siddham Bus Yatra was proceeding from Varadhi towards Kesarapalli. Reconstructing the scenario, the city police commissioner K.R. Tata told the media here on Monday that a man pelted a stone he held in his palm near the Ganganamma temple. It hit the CM when he was atop the bus gesturing to the people with folded hands. The injury happened to the CM just above the left eyebrow. The stone went further and hit the eye of YSRC leader Vellampalli Srinivas, who was next to the CM, and he fell down. The police examined nearly 24 CCTV footages, 50-60 mobile phone video recordings, eyewitness accounts etc from the spot. We sent the CCTV footage to the FSL for more clarity. Though the Clues team arrived at the spot immediately, they could not find the stone because of the presence of nearly 5,000 to 6,000 people there. The area was in darkness and there was rainfall a bit earlier. The commissioner said, We rounded up 50 to 60 persons having history of crime for questioning. It however is not clear who did the stone-pelting. In a related development, four suspects were taken into custody for questioning by the police. A rowdy sheeter was among them. He said, I am sure of nabbing the culprit very soon as we have got strong evidence and leads in the case. We are yet to see the possibility of use of a catapult or an air gun in the process and also to ascertain whether the attack was pre-planned. Based on a complaint from Vellampalli, a case was booked under Section 307 of IPC. He rejected the criticism of power outage during the CMs tour. As part of security protocol, some overhead power transmission lines and cable wires were removed for safety reasons to avoid any trouble to the CM when he stood atop the bus. Power supply was stopped as a standard practice for VIP security. The 22-km stretch of the CMs bus yatra from Varadhi to Kesarapalli was secured by nearly 1,480 police personnel and various other teams including 20 rope parties and four platoons of APSP, 10 anti-sabotage parties and other personnel, including the CP himself to ensure protection to the CM. There was no security lapse, he stated. Police announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the assailant. The police announced two numbers - of DCP Srinivasa Rao - 9490619342 and ADCP Taskforce 9440627089 - to enable the public share information on the culprits.

Attack strengthened my resolve to serve people: Jagan Mohan Reddy

Attack strengthened my resolve to serve people: Jagan Mohan Reddy YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday said the attack against him only strengthened his resolve to serve the people, rather than diminishing it. Unidentified miscreants hurled a stone at the chief minister, injuring him on his left temple, when he was canvassing for votes on Saturday night near Vivekananda School Centre in Vijayawada's Singh Nagar. The YSRCP chief was in Gudivada town in Krishna district for a public meeting as part of his Memanta Siddham (we are all ready) election campaign bus tour, ahead of the simultaneous elections to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and the 25 seats of the state in the Lok Sabha on May 13. The attack has only increased my resolve to serve the people, not diminished it. Maybe the wound on my forehead will recover in 10 days, but the wounds inflicted by Chandrababu (Naidu) on the poor people are forever, Reddy said. According to the CM, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the BJP, and Congress and the ''vested'' media houses are attacking him for ''doing everything for peoples welfare''. Citing the Mahabharata, he said one arrow shot at Arjuna did not mean that the Kauravas won, and expressed confidence that a single stone thrown at him will not stop the defeat of the evil and rich. Such attacks will not shake my resolve, and it means that we are so close to victory, and they are so far from it, he said. He asked the people of the state if they are ready to fight against the opposition for the welfare and the future of the poor, as well as to ensure that all welfare schemes continue for another five years. Reddy alleged that Naidu, who failed to keep his promises, mocked the government for its welfare schemes, the free electricity given to farmers and English education provided in government schools. He also alleged that the TDP chief had looted villages in the name of Janmabhoomi Committees. The chief minister asserted that he had fulfilled 99 per cent of the promises he had made, by considering the YSRCP manifesto as a holy book. Earlier on Monday, Reddy resumed his electioneering bus tour from Kesarapalle in NTR District, following a day's break after the stone attack. Reddy canvassed through Gannavaram, Atkur, Veeravalli Cross, Hanuman Junction and other villages. He is scheduled to make a halt for the night at Narayanapuram. Reddy has embarked on a 21-day election campaign bus tour from Idupulupaya in Kadapa district to Icchapuram in Srikakulam district.

SIT formed to probe stone pelting on Jagan in Vijayawada

Vijayawada Police Commissioner announces 2 lakh cash reward to those providing information on the accused

Pawan Kalyan calls for institutional mechanism concerning security of political leaders

Failure of DGP (Intelligence), Vijayawada Police Commissioner and the Chief Ministers security officers was evident in the stone-pelting incident, says the Jana Sena Party president

Interview: Set to fly to space, Captain Gopichand Thotakura wants Indian youth to dream big

Calling his journey from Vijayawada to become a space tourist an effort worth little 2 cents, Indian national Captain Gopichand Thotakura on Monday said his story will inspire the next generation in the country to dream big and fulfil their aspirations. He is set to become the first Indian to travel to the edge of space as a tourist onboard Blue Origins next flight. He will be a part of the six-person crew flying on US company Blue Origin's NS-25 mission.

Vijayawada: Police Announce 2 Lakh reward Rs for Info on Stone Pelter

Vijayawada: NTR police offered Rs 2 lakh cash reward for inforamtion or recordings to identify the accused in stone pelting attack on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in Vijayawada. Informant details will be kept confidential, said a press release from the office of NTR district police commissioner. On Saturday night, when the CMs bus tour Memantha Siddam (We are ready) was passing through Vijayawada and reached the Singhnagar area, stones were pelted at Jagan, who was standing atop the bus. The incident occurred near the Vivekananda School, and Vijayawada West MLA Vellampalli Srinivas Rao, who was standing beside the CM, was also injured. An FIR has been registered under charges of attempt to murder, and multiple police teams have been formed to identify those behind the stone-pelting, Vijayawada police said. Officials said the CMs security detail would be reviewed.

CM Jagan Mohan Reddy resumes bus yatra amid tight security after April 13 attack

Vijayawada: After a days rest on doctors advice following the injury sustained in stone pelting by some miscreants, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday resumed his Memantha Siddham Yatra amid tight security. On the 15th day of the yatra, CM Jagan Mohan Reddy started his journey from Keserapalle in Krishna District. Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Man dies while trying to board moving train in Tadepalligudem

Andhra Pradesh: A railway passenger died after he came under the wheels of a train at Tadepalligudem railway station in West Godavari on Monday. The victim aged around 26 was attempting to board the train after filling his plastic bottle with water when he accidentally fell down and got stuck between the platform and moving train resulting in grievous injuries. Deathwas instant for the passenger, who was a resident of Dowleswaram. The incident occurred when he was going to Vijayawada from Dowleswaram, according to police.

From Flying Air Ambulance To Becoming Second Indian To Go To Space, Vijayawada-Born Boy Among Blue Origin's NS-25 Crew

Injured CM Jagan Mohan Reddy resumes poll campaign in Andhra Pradesh

NTR DISTRICT: YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday resumed his electioneering bus tour from Kesarapalle in NTR District, following a day's break after a stone attack. Unidentified miscreants hurled a stone at the chief minister on Saturday night near Vivekananda School Centre in Vijayawada's Singh Nagar, which injured his left temple when he was canvassing for polls. Reddy is canvassing for the polls at Gannavaram. He will traverse through Atkur, Veeravalli Cross, Hanuman Junction and other villages today. Reddy has embarked on a 21-day election campaign bus tour from Idupulupaya in Kadapa district to Icchapuram in Srikakulam district. Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Injured YSRCP chief resumes poll campaign in Andhra Pradesh

Injured YSRCP chief resumes poll campaign in Andhra Pradesh YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday resumed his electioneering bus tour from Kesarapalle in NTR District, following a day's break after a stone attack. Unidentified miscreants hurled a stone at the chief minister on Saturday night near Vivekananda School Centre in Vijayawada's Singh Nagar, which injured his left temple when he was canvassing for polls. Reddy is canvassing for the polls at Gannavaram. He will traverse through Atkur, Veeravalli Cross, Hanuman Junction and other villages today. Reddy has embarked on a 21-day election campaign bus tour from Idupulupaya in Kadapa district to Icchapuram in Srikakulam district. Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.