Nomination of TDP candidate for Kuppam seat rejected

: In a shocker to the ruling Telugu Desam Party, the nomination of its candidate for Kurupam assembly seat Janardhan Dhatraj was rejected during scrutiny Tuesday.

Kurupam in Vizianagaram district is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

The BJP and the Congress candidates raised objection over the caste certificate submitted by the TDP nominee, saying even the Supreme Court ruled that Janardhan was not an ST.

Moreover, he presented a caste certificate issued in 2013.

Based on this, the returning officer conducted an enquiry and rejected the TDP candidate's nomination, sources in the Election Commission here said.

Meanwhile, the TDP survived a scare in Mangalagiri Assembly segment as the returning officer approved the nomination papers of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh.

The YSR Congress complained that Lokesh's nomination papers were faulty as it was notarised by a lawyer from Krishna district whereas Mangalagiri was in neighbouring Guntur district.

After legal clarifications were obtained and Lokesh's lawyers presented relevant rule position, the nomination was accepted.