Hyderabad: Congress leader G Niranjan on Wednesday questioned the Telangana government for not following the direction given by the State Election Commission (SEC). He said that the SEC expressed its anguish over the attitude of the State Government in its letter to the Government addressed to the Principal Secretary Municipal Department on National Voters Day on January 25. The Congress leader also reminded that SEC has mentioned in that letter as it had communicated the targeted dates for various events to hold elections for two Municipal Corporations and six Municipalities before expiry of their term as mandated in the Constitution. Mr Niranjan said that the election even advised the state government to complete the delimitation of wards by January 15 so SEC can publish ward wise Electoral rolls by January 31.
Mr Niranjan said that SEC asked the government for finalisation of reservations by February 10 and that SEC will publish the list of polling stations on the same day and the elections will be conducted in the first week of March.
"The SEC has expressed its displeasure as the Government has not completed the delimitation of wards as per the targeted date , the SEC is unable to prepare and publish the ward wise electoral rolls by which the entire election process is going to be delayed. The SEC mentioning an order of Supreme Court in the year 2006, said that as per the order of the Supreme Court the Government should render full assistance and cooperation to the SEC in time to enable the SEC to comply with constitutional mandate under Article 243(U), so as to enable the SEC to hold elections before the expiry of their term. Otherwise the SEC would approach the High Court, in the first instance, and thereafter the Supreme Court for directions to the State government to provide all necessary cooperation to fulfill the constitutional mandate," he said.
Mr Niranjan pointed out that the SEC also mentioned in that letter how the Telangana High Court observed in a WP on Gram Panchayat elections in the year 2018, "that the SEC failed to take proper steps to make the Government commence the process of reservations except writing a letter to the government and failed in its constitutional duty to ensure the elections are held before the due date." He said this letter of SEC clearly indicates that the State Government is not extending its cooperation to SEC to conduct the elections in time and following the footsteps of the Andhra Government.
"Why the State Government which conducted the GHMC elections hastily without any proper preparations by the administration is now hesitating to face the elections in time? We request the State Election Commissioner to approach the Hon'ble High Court, if the State Government does not extend its cooperation to conduct the elections in time," he added.
