Opposition creates ruckus in SEC meet on civic polls

Hyderabad: The opposition parties created a ruckus at the all-party meeting conducted by the Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) on municipal elections here on Saturday.

The main opposition Congress party representatives M Shashidhar Reddy and Niranjan lost cool and indulged in a heated argument with State Election Commissioner V Nagi Reddy before staging a walkout from the meeting.

The meeting began on a stormy note with the opposition party leaders demanded the commission to postpone the election schedule until the finalisation of the reservation of wards in the poll bound municipalities.

They questioned the SEC as to why the poll schedule was announced without the release of final voters list and reservation of the wards.

The leaders also raised strong objection on the announcement of poll schedule without holding a mandatory meeting with the opposition parties.

The Congress functionaries alleged that the SEC took unilateral decisions in the conduct of the municipal elections to benefit the ruling TRS.

Their demand to the closure of all liquor shops during the elections was also not accepted by the SEC. The opposition leaders said the commission conspired to reduce the BC, SC and ST quota in the civic polls.

Dalit Bahujan Party president Krishna Swarup accused the SEC of colliding with the TRS to help the party win the elections.

He also lodged a complaint with the police against the commission after the meeting alleging that the officials ill-treated him. Lok Satta Party leader Naga Raju rebuked the SEC saying the commission has turned as a wing of the TRS.