EC rejects TRS complaint against BJP Munugode by-election candidate for lack of proof

K. Rajagopal Reddy denies personal link to son’s company, lack of knowledge about transfer of funds

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Munugode Assembly by-election in Hyderabad K. Rajagopal Reddy has denied personal links to a company or any knowledge of the transfer of funds to the tune of ₹5.24 crore from its account to 23 others in response to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) direction in this regard.

His son, Komatireddy Sankeerth Reddy, is the Managing Director of the company in question, M/s Sushee Infra and Mining Limited, Mr. Reddy submitted to the commission following a complaint alleging an attempt at voter inducement by him filed by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) which Mr. Reddy termed “totally false.”

On its part, the commission noted that the complaint against Mr. Reddy “doesn’t provide any proof of allegations” which had also been denied by Mr. Reddy and directed the election machinery to keep “a close watch in the constituency” through enforcement agencies in terms of election expenditure monitoring.

In a late night development on Sunday, the ECI directed Mr. Reddy to furnish his reply to it regarding the TRS’ allegations that ₹5.24 crore had been transferred from a State Bank of India account in the name of a firm owned by his family on the 14th, 18th and 29th of October to 23 different persons/companies located in the Munugode Assembly constituency allegedly for voter inducement.

“I request the Election Commission to treat the entire petition as void-ab-initio since no transfer of money took place which is authorised neither by myself nor my Chief Election Agent,” Mr. Reddy stated in response to the commission.

“I am not a Director or a Partner in this company and it is manged by my son Komatireddy Sankeerth Reddy who is the Managing Director and his associates. Details of transfer of funds made from his company to the individual companies are false and fabricated. Hence allegation of the complainant that I have violated model code of conduct is totally false,” he also stated.

Regarding the transfer of funds from the company, Mr. Reddy sought to clarify that the only transfer of funds from the company’s accounts was towards the award of a mining contract which it secured as the lowest bidder at the conclusion of a tendering process in 2021.