HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Election Officer Vikas Raj directed the state labour commissioner to take stringent action against IT companies and other organisations that do not declare a holiday on the polling date, i.e November 30.
In a letter addressed to the labour department on Tuesday, the CEO has asked the labour commissioner to verify whether all organisations, offices and companies have been granted a holiday on the polling day. “Initiate stringent action as per provisions of electoral law and other labour laws in force,” the memo sent to the Labour Commissioner by the CEO mentioned.
He highlighted that during the Telangana Assembly elections in 2018 and Lok Sabha elections in 2019, several complaints from several quarters were received regarding private establishments and IT companies not declaring a holiday for their employees.
Many employees complained about not being able to exercise their right to franchise. Some citizens have taken to social media to raise the issue. This failure to provide a holiday for employees to exercise their voting rights amounts to a violation of Section 135 (B) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, and other applicable Labour Laws.