Cong leaders discuss MLC bypolls, DCCs to select nominees

Senior Congress leaders in Telangana Saturday discussed selection of candidates for bypolls to be held to fill three vacancies in the Legislative Council.

It was decided at the meeting that the job of selecting candidates has been entrusted with the District Congress Committees (DCCs), Congress sources said.

A statement from the Congress said the party state president N Uttam Kumar Reddy was wondering how the election can be conducted allegedly without the voters' list.

The party would appeal in the Supreme Court vis-a-vis bypolls, the statement quoted Reddy as saying.

Congress had Thursday urged the Election Commission to either cancel the notification issued for by-elections to three vacancies in the Legislative Council as no voters' list had been published or extend the time to have new voters' list.

The notification for the bypolls to fill vacancies in the Council from the Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Warangal Local Authorities' constituencies was issued Tuesday last.

Every candidate is mandated to be proposed by at least 10 electors but how could that be possible in the absence of the voters' list, Reddy had asked on Thursday.

He pointed out that new Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) members would come into existence on May 27 as rural local body polls to elect new MPTC and ZPTC members are underway.

The MPTC and ZPTC members are the voters in the bypoll.

"As such when new electors (MPTC & ZPTC) will come into existence on May 27, it is illogical to conduct elections on 31 May with old ZPTCs and MPTCs," he had said.

According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the bypoll would be held May 31.

The last date for filing nominations is May 14 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is May 17.

Counting of votes would be taken up on June 3.

Reddy, who met the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday last, alleged that the proposed by-election is "illegal" as voters' list in Council bypoll was not available.

The by-election to the three constituencies was necessitated by the resignations of Patnam Narender Reddy, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy and Konda Muralidhar Rao respectively in December last to contest the Assembly polls.