The State Election Commission on Tuesday said that the elections to Local Bodies will be held by the second week of July after the Andhra Pradesh High Court gave it the green signal to go ahead with the poll process.
The elections would be held as per the existing reservations (50 per cent) and the polling would be conducted through ballot papers, state Chief Election Commissioner Ramakanth Reddy told media persons.
Earlier, delivering its verdict on the validity of the state government’s decision to provide 60.5 per cent reservations to the weaker sections in the ensuing elections to Panchayats and other Local Bodies, Justice G Rohini said that the Courts would not interfere in the question of quotas at this stage.
Justice Rohini also quashed the petition filed by State Sarpanchs Association, which challenged the state government’s decision to provide 60.5 reservations to weaker sections in ensuing Local Body elections.
Rejecting the appeal of State Sarpanchs Association to order a status quo on the elections, the Court directed the State Election Commission to issue a notification for conducting of elections and begin the process for elections.
The Sarpanchs Association had contended that the action of the government goes against the directive of the Supreme Court that made it mandatory for the states to ensure that the total percentage of reservations does not cross 50 per cent of the total seats.
The term of the present elected bodies, MPPs and ZPPs would expire on July 21 and 22 respectively and that of Gram Panchayats on August 23.
The term of the special officers for 85 out of 108 municipalities and 10 out of 16 municipal corporations would end on September 29.
V V Prabhakar rao, who argued on behalf of EC said the conduct of elections to the local bodies was mandatory before the expiry of the term of the present bodies as per Articles 243 (E) and (U) of the Constitution dealing with this matter.
Hailing the judgment, State Election Commissioner Ramakanth Reddy stated the verdict has paved the way for the SEC to go ahead with the elections to Local Bodies.
Mr Ramakanth Reddy said that the SEC would issue a notification in this regard after receiving a copy of the Court’s ruling.(INN)
2012/4/21 3:36:13 New Delhi, April 21 (INN): Central Election Commissioner Hari Shankar Brahma on Saturday said that the by-elections to all constituencies in the country would be held before the Presidential Elections in July.
Talking to media persons, Hari Shanker Brahma said, “It is a normal practice of conducting by-elections to all the constituencies in the country before the Presidential elections." He said that the notification for the by-elections has been delayed as the Election Commission of India was yet to receive information from a few states over conducting of by-elections. “Once the ECI receives complete information from the respective States, the Commission will issue notification for conducting the by-elections,” he said.
Responding to Andhra Pradesh Government's plan to conduct local body elections before the by-elections in the State, he said that the Commission was not concerned with the local bodies’ polls as they fall under the purview of State Government. “We should not link local body elections to by-elections in the Andhra Pradesh,” he pointed out.
2011/6/16 5:38:52 Information and Public Relation Minister D K Aruna on Thursday said that the government is willing to conduct the elections for Panchayat Raj institutions, contrary to reports stating that the stay on the polls by a Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court has given the ruling Congress a lifeline.
Talking to media persons after attending the Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat, Ms Aruna asserted that the government was willing to conduct the polls for the PR Institutions, in response to calls for clarifications on the High Court ruling.
Asked to clarify the government stand on the High Court’s recent ruling striking down GO 128 in respect of the quota for BCs, the Minister said that the government was in favour of PR elections in the light of Apex Court’s Order that the ceiling of 50 percent be observed.
Earlier, she made clear that the state Cabinet did not discuss on GO 128 at all. “The government is for polls at any time,” Ms Aruna said.
Meanwhile, official sources say that the government has another month’s time, till July 21, to arrive at a decision to go ahead with the said polls.(INN)
TRS chief K Chandra Shekar Rao claims that the state will go to elections early next year. KCR predicted that there world be snap polls to the state assembly in March 2008. Elections are due only in 2009 but even some congressmen do not rule out advancement of polls in the state.
2007/9/24 23:35:21 The reshuffle of AICC office bearers and the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as the General Secretary has fuelled the speculation of mid-term elections. The congress party is seen as gearing up for mid-term polls early next year.
Initially it was said that if the Communists parties withdrew support to the government at the centre, ten mid-term polls to Parliament would be inevitable. Bur indications in the state also point out to likely mid-term elections to the state assembly too.
Has chief minister YS Rajashekar Reddy pulled a fast one on TRs chief Chandrashekar Rao. Yes, say some analysts. The TRS MPs and MLAs resigned over the separate Telangana issue. The TRS wants to prove that the Telangana sentiment is very strong by winning back all the seats once again.
KCR has even started his campaign for the by-lections by going on his Thanda Bata. The Election Commission has announced the poll schedule for the Karnataka assembly elections. Everyone expected that the by-polls would be held at the same time as the Karnataka elections.
Now some politicians are expressing doubts if the by-polls would be held at all. Now there is even some talk about advancing the assembly polls. The TRS surely has been caught on the wrong foot for once.
Govt hints at rethink on Ordinance, resorts to double speak on PR polls
2011/6/10 9:38:48 Caught in a quandary whether or not to postpone the elections to the Panchayat Raj Institutions, the state government is resorting to double-speak, as evident from the conflicting statements made by Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy on the issue.
Mr Raghuveera Reddy had categorically stated on Thursday that he was one of the signatories to the draft for approval of an Ordinance which was to be cleared by Governor ESL Narasimhan, but he hinted that the government was having a rethink on the issue on Friday by saying that the elections should be held as scheduled and immediately.
The government’s double speak is evident from its expressed desire to go in for the Ordinance to appoint special officers to the Mandal and Zilla Parishads as there was no sufficient time to notify the Backward Classes Quota' and in the second place, the statement made by the Revenue Minister today.
A minimum of six weeks is required for the process and also inform the Election Commission about the Backward Classes’ Population enumeration which is said to be nearing completion.
Mr Raghuveera Reddy told media persons at the Secretariat on Friday that the said elections should be held as scheduled and immediately.
He went on to clarify that the government was no in mood to inconvenience the BCs (on quota status ) while holding the elections. “Therefore the emphasis is on to hold the elections keeping in view their quota as per the directive of the Supreme Court which mandated the government not to exceed the ceiling of 50 per cent” the Minister said.
The term of Mandal Praja Parishads and Zilla Praja Parishads would come to an end on July 22 and 23 respectively, and the term of the Sarpanches would come to an end in August. The government was expected to notify the BC quota on June 11, which is the deadline set by the Election Commission.
According to sources, the government is wary of conducting the elections as scheduled because of a threat from YSR Congress Party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who might organize a repeat of Kadapa by-polls results in the Panchayat Raj polls too.
There is a broad smile on the face of several TDP candidates who have been chosen to contest in the ensuing by polls. Some of them have been very reluctant to contest in the elections. Babu had to intervene and personally cajole them into accepting his proposal.
Babu is reported to have promised to foot the entire poll expenditure of the candidates. On top of that, Babu also promised to re-nominate them for the next assembly election.
In short, all the candidates who are now fighting the by elections will have their tickets reserved for the next assembly elections. That reveals the reason behind the smile on the faces of many of the contestants.
2011/9/25 7:50:39 The Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum on Sunday asked the Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi to boycott the Banswada by-elections to be held on October 13.
In a letter addressed to both the Congress and TRS, Forum's convenor Errabelli Dayakar Rao said that all political parties together can build pressure on the Centre to announce statehood of Telangana by boycotting the by-elections. He demanded that the both the parties withdraw their candidates from the fray.
It may be mentioned that the TRS has fielded Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and the Congress has nominated Srinivas Goud as its candidates for the by-polls and both of them have already filed their nomination papers. The TDP is yet to announce its stand for the by-elections. In 2009, the Banswada assembly seat was won by the TDP. However, its MLA Pocharam Srinivas resigned from the party and the post to join the TRS, necessitating the by-polls.
However, Dayakar Rao said that the TDP would wait for the response from the Congress and TRS on his request till Monday noon and then the party would take a final decision regarding Banswada by-polls. (INN)
2012/5/6 1:58:24 Ongole, May 6 (INN): Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Dr K Laxman on Sunday predicted the fall of Kiran Kumar Reddy Government after the by-elections.
Talking to reporters here, Dr Laxman said that the State administration was in bad shape in the State and it would deteriorate further after the announcement of by-elections' results. He said the misadministration and political uncertainty would lead to the collapse of Kiran Kumar Reddy Government after the by-polls.
The BJP leader also alleged that thousands of acres of land belonging to farmers was alienated to the private companies by the successive governments. He said former chief ministers YS Rajasekhara Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu were two sides of the same fabric and both of them indulged in irregularities to favour private companies. The Comptroller General of India in its recent report has revealed that about 88,000 acres of lands has been alienated to the private companies in violation of the rules, he said.
Dr Laxman announced that the BJP would contest from a majority of 18 assembly seats where by-elections would be held on June 12. While expressing confidence of winning the elections, he said the by-polls would also help the party to guage the sentiments related to separate Telangana and united Andhra Pradesh.
Local bodies polls likely to be postponed: Mahidhar Reddy
2011/7/19 10:17:01 Elections to the local bodies are likely to be postponed In the light of current volatile situation in the state.
This was indicated by the Municipal Administration Minister M Mahidhar Reddy here on Tuesday.
The Minister, who had a meeting with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at his camp office revealed that though no decision has been taken for now on the issue of local body elections, indications were given that postponement of polls was on the cards.
In the absence of polls to the Panchayati Raj institutions the term of special officers will be extended by another six months.
The current term of special officers would end in September 2011.
The government is contemplating to extend their term by another six months to avoid any crisis.
The Chief Minister is also understood to have hinted that he would discuss the issue again shortly.(INN)
2011/9/26 7:30:42 The Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum has decided to boycott the Banswada by-elections scheduled to be held on October 13.
The decision was taken in the Forum's meeting held at Telugu Desam Legislature Party office here on Monday. Briefing the media about the decision, Forum's convenor Errabelli Dayakar Rao said all TDP MLAs from Telangana region have unanimously decided to boycott the by-polls until the formation of Telangana State.
Errabelli said that the Forum has sent a letter to both the Congress and TRS requesting them to boycott the by-elections. However, both the parties have failed to respond. "Whoever wins the by-elections will have to again resign for the cause. Therefore, instead of contesting and resigning from the assembly membership, more pressure could be mounted on the Centre if all parties boycott the bye-elections," he said.
It may be mentioned that Banswada seat was won by the Telugu Desam Party in 2009 elections. However, its MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy resigned from the party and the post to join the TRS. His resignation has necessitated the by-elections for the seat. For by-elections, Pocharam is the TRS candidate while the Congress party has fielded Srinivas Goud as its candidate. Both of them have already filed their nomination papers. (INN)
2008/4/16 8:07:49 The newly appointed PCC chief D Srinivas is now bracing up to face what could be the biggest challenge in his political life so far. He now has to plan the strategy to counter the TRS blitzkrieg over the issue of separate Telangana. The EC has announced the dates for the by polls today.
The biggest challenge before D Srinivas is about how to proceed. He will have a tough time in the selection of candidates too. Many senior congress leaders from Telangana like Venkatawamy and MSR are of the opinion that the congress should not field any candidates but leave the filed open to the TRS.
The by polls are like a mini general elections. They will give a clear indication about which way the wind is blowing and could lead to political realignments for the next assembly elections.
2011/8/24 8:03:48 Former Minister JC Diwakar Reddy predicted in case mid-term polls are held in the state following ongoing political uncertainty, then the Congress party would comfortably win more seats that it won in 2009 elections.
Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Diwakar Reddy said that the Congress was ready to face mid-terms term polls in the state. However, the possibility of mid-term polls are very less as there was no threat to continuance of Kiran Kumar Reddy Government. He said the resignation of 26 Congress MLAs in favour of Jagan Mohan Reddy would have no impact on the state politics in the longer run.
The former minister said that blackmailing was common and part of politics and therefore, the resignation by 29 pro-Jagan MLAs was one such move to halt the CBI probe. However, the move has failed to make an impact. He said that the Jagan Mohan Reddy was miscalculating his strengths. "It is not possible to win elections on sympathy every time. Even Jagan will not able to repeat the performance of last by-elections next time," he said.
Further, not all Congress MLAs who resigned for Jagan will be able to win elections on YSR's sympathy, Diwakar Reddy said adding that election results depend on the individual candidate's profile and also on their opponents. "Therefore, most of the MLAs who have resigned for Jagan Mohan Reddy might not enter the assembly next time," he said.
He also denied reports that YSR Congress party was trying to field his son against him in Tadipatri assembly segment which he represents now. He said he would re-contest from Tadipatri and would also win the same. (INN)
2011/9/15 7:51:01 Congress MLAs G Ramana and Lingaiah on Thursday asked the party High Command to reconsider its decision to field a candidate in the Banswada by-elections.
Talking to media persons at Congress Legislature Party office, Ramana said that the Congress had a bad experience in the recently held by-elections in the Telangana. Therefore, the Congress must avoid repeat of last by-polls by not fielding its candidate from the Banswada seat. However, he said the Congress leaders would abide by whatever decision the High Command takes.
Further, Ramana said that the Congress' participation in the Banswada by-polls would send wrong signals in the entire Telangana region. Therefore, all Congress leaders from Telangana region should convince the High Command to reconsider its decision, he said. (INN)
Raghuvulu slams CPI's statement on winning prospects in by-polls
2012/4/26 6:55:56 Hyderabad, April 26 (INN): Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary B V Raghavulu on Thursday condemned CPI state secretary K Narayana's comments that CPI(M) has no prospects of winning in the ensuing by-elections.
Talking to media persons, Raghavulu said that, “no one can predict the outcome of by-elections and we have to obey people’s verdict, whatever it may be.” He said that Narayana made these comments as he was of the opinion that only winning candidates have to contest in the elections. He said that his party would contest in the by-elections without bothering about victory or defeat.
Raghavulu alleged that the CPI has been supporting the Telugu Desam Party in the by-elections with a hidden agenda to defeat the CPI(M) candidates. Stating that alliances between parties were not permanent, he said that the tie-ups were limited only to by-elections. He said that CPI(M) would extend full support to Lok Satta party in those constituencies where it was not fielding its aspirants in the by-elections.
2007/10/1 11:36:04 According to reliable information, Y S Rajashekar Reddy is reported to have raised the issue and told his cabinet colleagues to be prepared for mid-term elections. However, there is still some doubt whether the election would b for the Lok Sabha or to the state Assembly. According to indications, the Let parties are seriously thinking about withdrawing support to the government at the centre. But is it going slow and will take a final decision only sometime next year. If the Communists withdraw support, them elections to the Lok Sabha would be held in March. Left to the Congress, the party leaders are of the view that it should go in for elections sometime in September/October.
2012/3/16 7:18:10 Chief Electoral officer Banwarlal on Friday stated that the Election Commission has set up 660 polling booths in seven assembly segments where by-elections would be held on March 18.
Briefing the media about the arrangements for the by-elections, he said that the Commission has taken all measures for the conduct of polls in a free and fair manner by voters. Apart from imposing ban on exit poll surveys, the commission has also imposed ban on electronic media over the campaigns. The commission has also imposed a ban on sending bulk SMS for the next 48 hours, he said.
Bhanwarlal said that the commission has also imposed ban on sale of liquor till the completion of polling. He said that the commission has seized Rs 9 crore cash from the poll-bound areas. He warned that the commission would take stern action the officials who indulge in poll irregularities and try to influence the voters through money or liquor. (INN)
2012/5/22 8:21:00 Guntur, May 22 (INN): YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday alleged that the Congress and TDP leaders were trying to postpone the ensuing by-election by creating law and order situation in the State on the pretext of his possible arrest.
Talking to reporters while campaigning in by-elections at Jammalamadaka in Macherla Assembly segment in Guntur district, Jagan alleged that the Congress leaders and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu hatched a conspiracy to arrest him in next few days. He also alleged that Governor E S L Narasimhan, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy, Union Minister Vayalar Ravi and the TDP president have reached a 'secret pact' to arrest him in the disproportionate assets case. He said the Congress and TDP leaders would then create law and order problem in the State to postpone the by-elections.
The YSRC president said that the Congress and TDP leaders were afraid of losing their deposits in the by-elections and therefore, trying hard to postpone the by-polls. He alleged that both the Congress and TDP leaders had a secret meeting with the CBI officials over his arrest.
However, Jagan said that his party candidates would emerge victorious in the by-elections and expressed confidence that the people of respective constituencies would teach a fitting lesson to both Congress and TDP candidates in the by-elections.
The just concluded by polls were by far the most interesting and bitterly contested by polls ever in the state. It is none other than the big separate Telangana issue that was the main reason behind the by polls. For KCR, these polls are a do or die battle. The future of KCR as well as that of the TRS hinges on the results of the by polls.
The exit polls have not exactly pleased KCR. Even the pre-poll surveys reported that the TRS was sure to lose some seats.
According to the exit poll results, the TRS may retain about 10 assembly seats from the 16 that it held before the by polls. Out of the four Lok Sabha seats, the TRS is ahead in two and neck and neck in the third seat. So here also, the TRS is set to lose one or two seats.
The ruling congress is expected to bag anywhere between three and four assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat. Even the TDP is expected to romp home with two or three assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.
The counting will begin at 8.00 a.m. on Sunday and the results will be out in about two hours time, i.e.by 10.00 a.m. Till then the guessing game continues and the leaders are all tensed up.
2012/4/17 4:00:51 Srikakulam, April 17 (INN): Chief Electoral Officer Banwar Lal on Tuesday stated that the Election Commission of India is likely to announce the notification for conducting by-elections to 18 Assembly segments and one Parliament segment in the State within next 10 days.
Talking to media persons during his visit to the district to review preparedness of officials for the ensuing by-elections, he said that the Commission could issue the by-election notification at any time in the next 10 days. He said that all the District Collectors and police officials in the respective constituencies have been asked to gear up for the by-elections.
Stating that the Collectors have been asked to update the voters' list for the ensuing by-elections, he said that the Commission would act tough against those who lure the voters with money and by distributing liquor in the elections.
He said the Commission would not spare anyone and take serious action as per the existing laws.
The Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum on Sunday asked the Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi to boycott the Banswada by-elections to be held on October 13.
The Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum has decided to boycott the Banswada by-elections scheduled to be held on October 13.
