TPCC seeks time to study quota for polls

State government is behaving like a monarch by ‘killing’ democratic norms - Uttam Kumar Reddy, TPCC chief

Hyderabad: The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has demanded that the Election Commission give a week’s time to study the reservations and file objections, observations and appeals on reservations after announcing reservations of the divisions in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

Speaking to the media at the Gandhi Bhavan here on Wednesday, TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the State government and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders were hijacking the election process to win the GHMC elections.

The election authorities were trying to announce the reservations of divisions on January 7 and release GHMC election notification on January 8 in order to complete the nomination process within three days and would like to complete the election within 15 days.

The TPCC president said he had made an appeal to the Municipal Administration & Urban Development Department Principal Secretary M G Gopal, GHMC election returning officer and GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy and State Election Commissioner V Nagi Reddy to protect democracy as senior officers.

He alleged that it was not proper to finalise reservations sitting at their homes and they had to explain on what basis they had prepared the list. He also said the Election Commission must give at least a week’s time to all political parties to study reservations and to appeal on them.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the State government was behaving like a monarch by ‘killing’ democratic norms. He alleged that a person needs at least two days to get a caste certificate and other required certificates to contest an election.

“How a person could get these certificates and how he could file his nomination within one day,” he asked. Demanding that the officials behave in a democratic manner, Uttam Kumar asked them not to dance to the tunes of the ruling party.

Questioning the State government how it would amend Municipal Act-1955 without convening the Assembly, Uttam Kumar said the State Cabinet had no right to amend any Act. “Either the Assembly should amend or an ordinance must be issued to amend the Act,” he said.

The TPCC chief also urged the media to protect the democracy by exposing the ruling party’s undemocratic acts. “The media plays an important role in protecting the democracy along with political parties,” he said, adding that the political parties would honour the party which won the election in case the election was held in a free and fair manner.

Meanwhile, TPCC chief spokesperson Shravan Kumar and ex-MPs Balram Naik and Ponnam Prabhakar alleged that Chandrashekar had discussed and finalised the twists and turn in GHMC poll process at his dining table in the presence of MIM leaders and senior officials.

Beginning with unscientific delimitation of GHMC wards, a conspiracy was hatched to conduct GHMC elections in an unfair and controlled manner. He said instead of following the rules, CEOBhanwar Lal and former GHMC chief Somesh Kumar followed Chnadrashekar Rao’s diktats.

Following the visit of Election Commission of India’s team to Hyderabad to review the complaints of deleted voters, Somesh Kumar was immediately transferred. The Congress leaders also alleged that the enumeration of BC voters was not done in a proper manner.

They said TRS had been spending about Rs 100 crore on hoardings and other publicity material to lure voters in GHMC elections.