How can we trust Andhra state election commissioner: YSRCP

Amaravati, Oct 29 (IANS) Senior YSRCP leader and Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana on Thursday questioned how can the State Election Commissioner (SEC), Nimaggadda Ramesh Kumar, be trusted when he allegedly met opposition leaders in a Hyderabad hotel.

Satyanarayana said Kumar had cancelled local body elections in the past without consulting the political parties or the state government.

He said the SEC annulled elections when there were fewer coronavirus cases, but wants to conduct them now when there are thousands of cases.

The state government has conveyed to the SEC that the circumstances are not ideal to conduct elections now, considering the coronavirus pandemic is still not under control.

Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney met with Kumar at his office on Wednesday and apprised him about the prevailing pandemic situation.

Sawhney told the SEC that many government employees and up to 11,000 policemen have been infected with the virus and the total number of infections in the state has crossed the 8 lakh-mark.

She also told the SEC that there are more than 26,000 active cases present in the state currently.

The government conveyed to the SEC that it will monitor the pandemic situation from time to time and inform him when the conditions are ideal to conduct elections.

After cancelling the local body elections more than once, Kumar is keen on conducting them now.

On Wednesday, Kumar held a meeting with the representatives of 11 political parties to discuss the possibility of conducting the elections. The ruling YSRCP had boycotted the meeting.

Though Janata Dal (Secular) and Janasena parties could not attend the meeting, they shared their views with the SEC in writing.

Along with YSRCP, five more parties did not attend the one-on-one meetings scheduled by Kumar.