HYDERABAD: It seems there is no end in sight for the dispute between the State Election Commissioner and the Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
The state government is determined not to conduct the elections of local bodies under SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar. While, on the other hand, Kumar’s tenure will be completed by March 2021, and before that he wanted to hold elections in February itself.
The state government said that it’s not possible due to the second wave of Covid-19. The Jagan administration urged him to reconsider the poll panel’s decision.
Ramesh Kumar complained to state Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan against “the unconstitutional acts” of the Jagan government. He took strong exception to the stance being adopted by the state government on holding elections to the local bodies and maintained that it was “unconstitutional” and amounted to undermining the independence of a constitutional body like the SEC.
In a letter to the SEC, state Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic and said as and when the situation became conducive for the conduct of elections to local bodies, the state government would immediately inform the poll body regarding the preparedness in resuming the adjourned process.
The confrontation between the SEC and the state government came out in the open yet again after Ramesh Kumar issued proceedings stating that the Commission decided to conduct elections to the gram panchayats in February 2021 as there were no legal impediments. He also wrote to the Chief Secretary in this regard. Replying to the SEC’s letter, the Chief Secretary pointed out that the Union government too has warned the states to be wary of the winter months. He also noted that we cannot afford to have another surge, having already lost 6,890 human lives.
Meanwhile, the TDP criticised the ruling YSRCP saying it is afraid of facing the local body elections in February. “It is only out of sheer fear of defeat and rejection by all the harassed weaker sections that the ruling party is afraid and unwilling to face the elections in February,” TDP Politburo member Ramakrishnudu said.