HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) reiterated its stand that women should be provided 33 per cent reservations in Parliament and state legislatures. TRS is also in favour of providing adequate representation to women in the organisational structure of the political parties.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted an all party meeting to elicit their views on the electoral reforms in Delhi on Monday. On behalf of TRS, party MP B Vinod Kumar stated that the TRS had already passed a resolution in favour of providing 33 per cent reservation to women the legislative bodies.
“It is a good suggestion made by the ECI to improve the gender representation within the party by providing adequate representation to women in the organisational structure of the party and in contesting elections to legislative bodies,” Vinod Kumar said.
He further said that ECI could take a decision to have the required number of women representation in the organisational structure of the party. “ECI imposed ceiling on election expenditure for MLAs and MPs, but MLCs are not included into it. So it is very much needed to make an appropriate clause to make expenditure ceiling for Legislative Council Elections too,” Vinod Kumar said.
The restriction on campaign activities during 48 hours before completion of the poll was to create an environment of neutrality and silence for the voter to exercise his franchise through reasoned reflection rather than last-minute appeals by the political parties and candidates. The presence of 24/7 news channels, satellite technology and the presence of social media were influencing the voters in the last moments (last 48 hrs before the conclusion of polling) of the election period. “Whatever action ECI is taking on the print media for violation of rules during the silence period, take similar action on the social media, if it interferes/ influences the voters during silence period of 48 hours,” Vinod Kumar suggested to the ECI.
Centre urged to raise red gram purchase limit
Hyderabad: Irrigation and marketing Minister T Harish Rao has requested Union minister of agriculture, cooperation and farmers’ welfare Radha Mohan Singh to enhance the ceiling to 75 per cent for purchase of red gram in the state. Currently, the Centre is procuring 25 pc of the total red gram production in the state at the minimum support price. The restriction of 25 per cent of the production of pulses would hit the farmers and the state government, he said.