HYDERABAD: All India Kisan Congress vice-chairman and former legislator M. Kodanda Reddy said that finance minister T. Harish Rao’s continuous presence in bylection-bound Huzurabad Assembly constituency will definitely influence the election process. Rao's presence as minister will vitiate a fair election atmosphere and protocol for the minister and his very presence can have negative influence on election administration and voters, he said in a letter to Chief Electoral Officer Shashank Goel here on Sunday.
Harish Rao has been campaigning in Huzurabad for over a month now, while propriety demands that he should resign from the Cabinet to undertake such an intense election campaign.
In the past, there have been instances when ministers have stepped down from their posts to concentrate on electioneering, thereby establishing a healthy trend. This model behaviour has been upheld by the then Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan, Kodanda Reddy said.
The Congress leader urged Goel to issue relevant directions which can lead either to withdrawal of Harish Rao from campaigning in Huzurabad or his resignation from the Cabinet.
