NELLORE/VIJAYAWADA: State ministers and YSRC MLAs criticised the State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar for being adamant on conducting local body elections in the State during the Covid-19 vaccination drive by risking people’s lives just to “favour his political bosses”. Addressing a press conference in Nellore, Minister for Municipal Administration Botcha Satyanarayana said that Ramesh Kumar was speaking like a political leader.
The SEC has the authority and responsibility to conduct the elections and to oversee the safety of the public.The public health is the main responsibility of the government and it is not the ideal time for holding polls, the minister argued. He questioned as to who will be held responsible if anything happens to employees or the public during the polls and what will happen if the elections are postponed for three months. Satyanarayana said that people were watching for whom Ramesh Kumar has been working.
He asked why elections were not held during the TDP regime even after the High Court order. He, however, made it clear that the government is not afraid of the polls as Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has put public welfare in the forefront and has been relentlessly working for transforming the lives of the poor and weaker sections of the society.
At a separate press conference, YSRC MLA Ambati Rambabu flayed Ramesh Kumar for aiming to hold elections before his tenure ends even after the State government made it clear that people’s lives are important. He said that the government had moved the Supreme Court and will make it clear that the State can only hold either the vaccination drive or elections, but not both at the same time due to insufficient workforce.
Assembly Speaker Tammineni Sitaram slammed the SEC for being in Constitutional post and ignoring people’s right to live. He said the decision to conduct elections was only to serve some vested interests and suggested to wait till the apex court decision. He also proposed a referendum on conducting polls, if necessary.