YSRCP has urged the Election Commission to take punitive action against Narayana Group of educational institutions for allegedly collecting personal details including voter IDs and polling booth details from its students and debar the founder and chairman of the institutions Dr Ponguru Narayana, who is also a former minister, from contesting elections.

The YSRCP alleged that Narayana plans to contest elections from Nellore district and hence such data was being collected from Narayana institutions in the district. The Narayana Group has a vast network of more than 800 schools, colleges, coaching centres and professional colleges in 23 states, particularly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

YSRCP general secretary and MLC Lella Appireddy met Andhra Pradesh chief electoral officer Mukesh Kumar Meena and submitted a representation seeking immediate action against the Narayana group. He complained,“ It was learned that M/s Narayana educational institutions in Nellore district are circulating the attached forms to the students who are studying in their campus, asking them to fill in the details about their family members. The form contains various columns asking details of family, address, phone numbers, booth numbers and voter IDs… to induce the family member of the student who has voting right by undue influence or giving some bribe or gratification.”

Appireddy also alleged that Narayana who was the municipal administration and Urban Development Minister in the Cabinet of the then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has been booked in several criminal cases in the past. “He is actively participating in AP politics and an active member of TDP which is in Opposition. He is notorious for using students for his political gain. He has been named in several criminal cases,” said the memorandum.

Demanding that a criminal case should be lodged against the Narayana group, the YSRCP leader also said that Narayana should be debarred from contesting the upcoming elections.

Narayana was instrumental in the land pooling initiative for Amaravati during the TDP regime and has been named in the cases filed by CID in this regard.