HYDERABAD: The Opposition parties expressed unhappiness with the election authorities over the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations by the TRS party. They said that the TRS party is misusing the official machinery for party purposes.
A high-level team of Election Commission of India led by Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat, who arrived here Wednesday, met the leaders of various political parties in the light of ensuing elections in Telangana next month.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, Chairman and Convenor, G Niranjan submitted a representation to Rawat stating that the Congress has submitted a list of complaints to the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer on violation of MCC by the caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, caretaker ministers and TRS leaders on whom no action has been taken.
Congress leaders requested the Election Commission to ensure free-and-fair poll without any bias to save the democracy in the State.
Even the official CM Camp Office (Pragathi Bhavan) is not being spared, the office is being used for political activities where TRS meetings are held regularly. This clearly indicates that Pragathi Bhavan has become the centre of political activity for the TRS party, they said.
‘’ECI should change its style of functioning otherwise there would be danger to the democracy and people will lose confidence, ECI should act tough against the violations,” said Marri Shashidhar Reddy, Congress leader. He said that TRS party has already provided `10 crore to each of the candidates. Besides, a huge amount of cash is kept in Pragathi Bhavan and residences of caretaker ministers.
N Indrasena Reddy, BJP National Executive Member, brought to the notice of the ECI that some officials of the State government, who are acting at the behest of their political bosses, are going soft on the TRS leaders. He alleged that TRS and Congress candidates are distributing liquor in large scale in all the constituencies.
Meanwhile, TRS MP Vinod Kumar said that some Returning Officers have given symbols like Auto and Truck to candidates and wanted ECI to withdraw such symbols as they nearly match TRS car symbol.
HC refuses to intervene in poll nomination issue
A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court refused to intervene in the petition filed challenging the decision of the returning officer in rejecting the election nomination papers filed by a contesting candidate. The petitioner’s counsel told the court that the returning officer has rejected the nomination form of the petitioner without proper reasons.
EPICs to new voters will be given free of cost by booth officers: CEO
Hyderabad: Acknowledging that the Election Commission has received several complaints that Mee Seva Centres have been collecting `100 for new Electoral Photo ID Cards (EPIC), Telangana CEO Rajat Kumar on Thursday clarified that it was illegal and citizens should lodge complaints with toll free number 1950 in such cases. He said that those who enrolled themselves as voters in the past, would have to pay only `25 at Mee Seva Centres to get the EPIC. All those who enrolled afresh would be given EPICs at their doorsteps free of cost by booth level officers. The CEO said the Election Commission received several complaints that `100 was being collected at Mee Seva Centres to deliver the voter card and it was ‘illegal.’