Kadapa: SEC warns on 'forcible' consesus

Kadapa: State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar warned of stringent action against those responsible for forcible unanimous elections in panchayat elections.

Ramesh Kumar, who was in the district to review the election arrangements, addressed media here on Saturday. He said that to prevent coercive unanimous elections, the commission had set up 'shadow teams' to monitor everything at ground level.

If anyone is found guilty of engineering forced unanimous election, they would be grounded and confined to their home in whatever position they were.

"Forcible unanimous elections pose a grave threat to democracy as they are against the spirit of Constitution. Such trends tend to deprive downtrodden communities of power," he observed.

Referring to the numerous attempts to get the panchayat elections postponed through petitions, Ramesh Kumar said he was not afraid of anyone and would not compromise on conduct of polls as he was guided by the Constitution. "Will it be possible to have Parliament or Assembly without competition of political parties? Then why you are opposing panchayath elections? It is not correct to oppose the High Court and Supreme Court decisions on these matters. This attitude ultimately pose a grave danger to democracy and rule of law," he said.

Expressing happiness over conducting a review in Kadapa district, the SEC recalled that the crucial turn in his career occurred after he worked as finance secretary to the government led by Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy. "It is with the blessings of YSR I was promoted to render service in Raj Bhavan for seven years. That led to my appointment as State Election Commissioner. YSR was a remarkable political personality as he always respected Constitution and constitutional bodies. He used to take my opinions over crucial issues on finance matters instead of bluntly dismissing suggestions," he recalled.

The SEC disclosed that he would make field visits again to the districts during elections time. He lauded the district collector Ch Harikiran for taking steps for smooth and fair elections.

District collector Harikiran said that elections were being held for 793 Panchayaths as against 807 as 14 panchayaths were under court disputes. He said 54 static surveillance teams and 74 flying squads were set up to ensure smooth and fair elections. District SP K K N Anburajan said that 21 check posts were arranged to restrict the entry of liquor and money in to the district in view of elections.