AP govt. files petition in High Court over local body elections, says not possible in next February

Andhra Pradesh government headed by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has filed a petition in the high court against the local body elections. The petitioner said that holding panchayat elections in February was not possible under any circumstances. Panchayati Raj Principal Secretary Gopala Krishna Dwivedi has filed a petition in the High Court against the SEC's announcement that elections will be held in February. The petition alleges that the Election Commissioner made the statement unilaterally without consulting the government. The petition included the Secretary of the State Election Commission as a respondent.

The government claimed that the SEC statement was contrary to the Supreme Court orders. The petition states that public health is the duty of the government during the coronavirus and has reminded that more than 6,000 people across the state have already died from coronavirus infection. SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh, who had earlier postponed the polls as the corona was spreading, has now objected to the government on holding re-elections. The AP government has requested the High Court to order an immediate halt to the election process.

However, it is learnt that SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar has revealed that elections will be held in February and has repeatedly complained against the government to the high court that it was not cooperating in the conduct of the elections. It is noteworthy that the government has approached the High Court as there is possibility to hold election at the moment.