'His aides beat me so badly ...': Andhra voter who slapped MLA back says he fears for his family

Courtesy: BIG TV Telugu

Gottumukkala Sudhakar, the Andhra Pradesh voter who was thrashed by YSR Congress MLA Sivakumar and his aides during voting on May 13, has said that he fears for the safety of his family members.

In a video that went viral on Monday, MLA Sivakumar can be seen slapping Sudhakar when he objected to the legislator jumping the queue at a polling booth in Guntur district.

Sudhakar retaliates and slaps the MLA back but is soon overpowered by his supporters and thrashed brutally. Many people standing in the queue tried to intervene when the aides of the MLA thrashed the voter.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: YRSCP leader VS Shivakumar engaged in a slapping battle with a voter at a polling booth of Andhra Pradesh's Guntur. #LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024    pic.twitter.com/UVHLCiRLMS

— Avinash Pujari (@Avinashpujari02) May 13, 2024

Speaking about the ordeal to media, Sudhakar said that the MLA and his family members jumped the queue and tried to enter the booth when all the voters were standing in line.

"Everyone should stand in queue and vote. No one enjoys special privileges. So I asked his followers to join the queue. They must have told him when he came out after voting. He came to me and asked me, 'who are you to question, how dare you?' And then he slapped me," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Sudhakar, whose face is visibly swollen after the assault, said that he is worried about his family.

"I didn't even realise I had done it [slapped the MLA back] till they told me later. When police came, I said I won't go anywhere before I vote. Police took me in through the exit gate. I voted, and they brought me out to the police station. They (MLA and his aides) beat me up so badly that I was bleeding, just because I asked them to follow rules," he said.

"I don't know if my family is under threat. I seek protection for my mother, me and my family," he was quoted as saying

A case has been booked against the Tenali MLA based on a complaint lodged by Sudhakar.