Hyderabad: TPCC has demanded that the Election Commission give a week’s time to study the reservations and file objections, observations and appeals on the reservations after announcing reservations of the divisions in GHMC.
Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan here on Wednesday, TPCC Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the State government and 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 election within 15 days.
The TPCC president said he made an appeal to 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 finalize reservations by sitting at their homes and they have to explain on what basis they prepared the list. He also said the Election Commission must give at least a week’s time to all political parties to study reservations 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 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 said the State Cabinet has no right to amend any Act. “Either Assembly 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 the political parties would honor the political party whichever wins the election in case the election was held in free and fair manner. (NSS)