State Election Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar, in collusion with TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu, has announced the elections to the gram panchayats in the State in utter disregard to people’s safety in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, Minister for Panchayat Raj Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy has alleged.
Addressing the media at Kuppam on Saturday, Mr. Ramachandra Reddy said, though a three-member official delegation had met Mr. Ramesh Kumar and expressed the government’s inability to conduct the elections in February in view of the massive efforts being made for the COVID-19 vaccination drive and the threat posed by the new strain of the virus, the SEC stuck to his decision only to “politically benefit Mr. Naidu.”
“The SEC decision is undemocratic and illogical. The government teachers too have expressed reservations against kick-starting election process at this hour of crisis,” Mr. Ramachandra Reddy said.
‘Will win hands down’
Refuting the TDP claim that the YSRCP was afraid of facing the elections, he said his party would win them hands down whenever they were conducted.
The Minister, who arrived in Chittoor district after a pilgrimage to Sabarimala, made a whirlwind visit to Kuppam, Ramakuppam, Shantipuram and Gudupalle mandals of Kuppam Assembly constituency.
Since there was uncertainty over the applicability of the Model Code of Conduct, the house site patta distribution programme was not conducted.
