VIJAYAWADA: Even as the State government is keen on conducting the elections to the MPTCs and ZPTCs by the end of this month as all the legal hurdles have been cleared, it is learnt that State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, who is due to retire on March 31, is unlikely to hold the elections during his tenure.
After the High Court dismissed the order of the SEC calling for an enquiry into unanimously elections in MPTC/ZPTC elections, the ruling YSRC leaders suggested that it is better for the SEC to conduct the elections during his tenure so as to enable the government to shift its entire focus on administration.
However, sources say that the SEC may not conduct the elections for MPTCs and ZPTCs. It is learnt that the SEC once again changed his Leave Travel Concession (LTC). After planning to go to Kanyakumari on LTC from March 19 to 22 after monitoring the election of mayors and deputy mayors for municipal corporations and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons for municipalities on March 18, the SEC is said to have changed the LTC schedule from March 22 to 24.
During his recent meeting with Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, the SEC explained about the declaration of results of the elections held to Urban Local Bodies and reportedly informed the change in his LTC and got the approval of the same.Thus, he will not have even one week in office and may not conduct the elections, the sources said.
Meanwhile, sources close to Ramesh Kumar told TNIE that the SEC is of the view that the orders issued by the High Court on Tuesday created “new issues to deal with” on the conduct of ZPTC/MPTC elections.
YSRC charge
YSRC leaders alleged that Ramesh Kumar is in no mood to conduct the elections as he is well aware that the TDP will bite the dust once again.