YSRCP MP Mithun Reddy's Convoy Attacked in Punganur Amid Fierce Local Body Poll Clash
High political drama turned violent in Punganur, Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, October 16, 2026, after the convoy of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Lok Sabha floor leader and Rajampet Member of Parliament P.V. Mithun Reddy came under heavy physical attack. The incident unfolded as the senior parliamentarian was escorting regional YSRCP leaders and aspiring candidates to the designated government center to file their formal nomination papers for upcoming local body elections. According to eyewitness accounts and party functionaries, a large mob of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists blocked the roadway, barricaded access to the nomination center, and launched a coordinated assault using stones, wooden sticks, and iron rods, smashing vehicle windscreens and triggering widespread panic across the administrative precinct.
Stone Pelting and Vandalism: Allegations of Police Inaction at Nomination Center
The targeted ambush caused extensive damage to several vehicles traveling in the MP’s motorcade, with party workers accusing the local police of failing to intervene or disperse the unruly mob. Leaders of the YSRCP stated that despite law enforcement personnel being stationed along the route and outside the nomination center, officers stood by passively rather than restraining the attackers or securing a safe corridor for the opposition delegation. Condemning the hostility, YSRCP Tirupati MP Dr. M. Gurumurthy launched a fierce attack against the ruling TDP dispensation, alleging that the ruling party is weaponizing mob violence to intimidate political rivals, suppress democratic participation, and physically block opposition candidates from exercising their statutory right to contest elections.
SEC Intervention Demanded: Bhumana Karunakara Reddy Calls for Arrests and Security Cover
Reacting strongly to the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the region, former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Bhumana Karunakara Reddy submitted an urgent representation to the State Election Commission (SEC), demanding immediate constitutional oversight. The senior leader urged the poll watchdog to issue strict directions to senior police leadership to register non-bailable criminal FIRs against all identified perpetrators, order the immediate arrest of those involved in the physical assault, and initiate departmental inquiries into police officers who failed to prevent the violence. Karunakara Reddy also demanded round-the-clock armed security for all YSRCP candidates and their proposers, insisting that the poll body must establish foolproof arrangements to ensure every candidate can submit nomination papers in a fearless and transparent electoral environment.
