Chandrababu Naidu demands re-notification for local body elections

Amaravati: Explaining that more than 23 per cent of the local bodies were forcibly made as unanimous in the State by the ruling YSRCP, the TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu demanded State Election Commission to give re-notification to conduct free and fair elections.

Addressing at a press conference at the party headquarters at Atmakur village in Guntur district on Sunday, he welcomed the decision of the postponement of the ongoing local body elections by the SEC, due to the fear of the spread of COVID-19. Chandrababu Naidu said that the whole world has been reeling under the fear of the spread of the Coronavirus epidemic.

Chandrababu Naidu said that the TDP leaders were threatened at many areas across the state and the entire police department, SEC and other government officials including the Collectors and SPs failed in conducting free and fair elections. He said that the TDP will bring the issue to the President of India and will ask to conduct the elections with the Election Commission of India. TDP president also demanded that the Central Reserve Police Force and other union police must be deployed to ensure law and order during the entire election procedure in the State. He said that the party will also approach the High Court and Supreme Court to save democracy.

Reacting on the transfer of the Chittoor and Guntur districts Collectors and Superintendent of Police officials along with others, he demanded to transfer all the other officials till the elections will be completed.

He added that the World Health Organization and Indian Government already declared it as an epidemic and it spread to more than 147 countries within short span-notification of two and half months. At this juncture, the TDP and other political parties also requested the SEC to postpone the elections till normalcy is restored. Lambasting chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for his comments on the Coronavirus disease that it could be prevented by using paracetamol tablets, Chandrababu Naidu said that it exposed the innocence. The TDP supremo demanded chief minister to withdraw his comments on the COVID19, which gave a wrong information to the public. He said that the government completely failed in taking the preventive action on the COVID19 spread and Chief Minister has been behaving arrogantly and ignorantly.

Chandrababu Naidu cautioned the government to be careful about the COVID19. He criticised that the Chief Minister was giving more importance to his power and local body elections than the prevention of the COVID19. Effective preventive management is essential to address the menace, he added.