HYDERABAD: The bypoll to Huzurabad Assembly segment in Telangana will be held in November or in December, i.e., only after the Dasara and Diwali festivals. The latter falls on November 4. As requested by the State government, the Election Commission of India (ECI) took a decision on Saturday to defer the bypoll. Now, the ruling TRS will be in an advantageous position, as it will have enough time to implement the pilot project of Dalit Bandhu in Huzurabad, and other schemes too. Contesting the polls will be a daunting task for BJP candidate and former minister Eatala Rajender, as he has to maintain the same election tempo for a couple of months more. Sources in TRS also feel that the delay would help the ruling party.
After holding a video conference with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and DGP M Mahender Reddy recently, the ECI on Saturday stated that Telangana wanted to conduct the bypoll only after the festival season.
“The Chief Secretaries of States of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Advisers of UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, brought to the notice of the Commission the constraints related to flood situations, festivals and pandemic. They suggested that it would be advisable to have byelections after the end of the festival season,” the Election Commission said in a statement on Saturday.
The ECI did not announce any date for the Huzurabad bypoll. Former health minister Eatala Rajender had resigned as an MLA on June 12. Hence, the bypoll can be held before December, i.e., within six months of the day he resigned from his post.
ECI takes same call for Badvel
The Badvel Assembly byelection in Kadapa district will be held only after the festival season comes to an end, in view of the pandemic, as per the suggestion of Andhra Pradesh government.
BJP objects to delay in bypoll
he BJP is crying foul over deferment of the Huzurabad bypoll, claiming Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and DGP Mahender Reddy misguided the ECI via misleading reports sent at the behest of CM K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Congress links move to PM meet
The Congress claimed that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defer the Huzurabad bypoll when the two met in Delhi, fearing that early polls would dent the TRS’ prospects.