Opposition parties' plea to SEC on gram panchayat polls

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 30. While extending support to the three-phase poll for the gram panchayat elections, the opposition parties have appealed to the State Election Commission (SEC) to ensure that the State Government does not misuse the relaxation from code of conduct, for taking up drought relief works.

Addressing a press conference after attending a meeting of political parties convened by the SEC to discuss gram panchayat elections, they said they had impressed upon the SEC to see that poll malpractices and the flow of liquor and money seen in ZPTC and MPTC elections were not repeated.

On the three-phase poll, they had some reservations but when they heard the SEC explain the difficulties like insufficient staff and ballot boxes faced in conducting it on a single day, they agreed, with a condition. It was that the SEC should ensure that the polling was completed in the entire revenue division in one phase. The suggestion was accepted by the SEC.

The Congress-I leader, Mr. Gade Venkat Reddy, wanted the SEC's intervention in cases of violation of code of conduct by the Chief Minister and the Ministers, especially in the context of relaxation for drought relief works. There is a danger that any work could be announced as drought-related.

He also wanted the SEC to prevent from recurrence, the several "infirmities" resorted to in the ZPTC and MPTC elections, especially in the election to the Zilla Parishad chairmanship. Applications for inclusion into voters list in bulk should not be entertained. There was also a need for according protection to contesting candidates, some of whom were prevented from filing nomination.

Mr. Koratala Satyanarayana of CPI(M), too appealed to the SEC to check the possible misuse in relaxation of code of conduct and also the flow of money and liquor. Mr. K. Narayana of CPI, said though it was on a non- party basis, the elections were bound to be subjected to pulls and pressures from political parties. This had to be checked. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader, Mr. G. Rammohan Reddy, wanted the SEC to check the blatant misuse of official machinery and police as seen in the ZPTC and MPTC elections.

The Telugu Desam leaders, Mr. Lal Jan Basha and Mr. R. Chandrasekhara Reddy, wanted that the elections be conducted in a peaceful and fair manner. The BJP's representative, Mr. Parakala Prabhakar, wanted polling booths to be located in weaker section colonies in the light of reports that voters from these sections were prevented. Drought relief works should not be affected by the election code.

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Section  : Southern States
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