Guntakal MLA Y. Venkatarama Reddy on Saturday openly threatened to stall developmental works in the wards that did not vote YSRCP candidates to the Guntakal Municipality.

“The TDP did not allow development in the wards where its candidates were not elected when it was in power. We will pay back in the same coin if you do not elect a YSRCP candidate now. We will easily come to know who has not voted for us,” was the message of the MLA over the public address system to the voters in Ward No. 35.

During a high-pitch election campaign on the Mounmeen Street (Ward No.35) of the Guntakal Municipality for party candidate Ahmed Basha, the MLA’s terse message shocked the voters.

Many listeners did not like the veiled threat to withdraw the benefits, and wondered how would any party know whom they had voted for.

“The State government is using the welfare schemes as a tool. It had threatened to discontinue them in the panchayat elections as well. Today, it has come from the horse’s mouth with the MLA himself saying it,” TDP Anantapur parliamentary constituency in-charge J.C. Pavan Reddy told The Hindu.

“The MLA should remember that he has taken oath to develop the constituency without showing any bias,” he said.