Cong seeks cancellation of notification for Council bypoll

Congress in Telangana 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 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 on Tuesday last.

The nominations can be filed from May 7 as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission on the night of May 6, but no voters' list was published by the EC till May 9 afternoon, state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

Every candidate is mandated to be proposed by at least 10 electors and how is it possible to do so in the absence of published voters' list, Reddy asked.

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 ZPTCs are underway in Telangana.

The MPTCs and ZPTCs are the voters in the bypoll.

"As such when new electors (MPTC & ZPTC) will come into existence on 27th May, 2019, it is illogical (to) conduct elections on 31st May, 2019 with old ZPTCs and MPTCs," he said.

If at all, as per the law, there was a need to complete the elections of three MLCs within six months from the time they were vacant, why is that the EC did not conduct these bypolls along with other MLC elections held in March, Reddy said.

The three local body MLC seats fell vacant in December last, he pointed out.

"Hence, we feel that there is some conspiracy in this whole issue as to...schedule is given on 6th May night and notification is given on 7th May morning without prior public display of voters list," the state Congress president claimed in the letter.

The present notification should be cancelled and the proposed elections be rescheduled "to protect the spirit of democracy in Telangana," he added.

According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, polling in the bypoll would be held on 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, alleged that the proposed by-election is "illegal" as voters' list in Council bypoll was not available.

The polling in the Council bypoll would be held on May 31 with the old MPTCs and ZPTCs as voters though the process to elect to new MPTCs and ZPTCs would be over by then, Reddy said on Tuesday.

"The old MPTCs, ZPTCs have been given voting rights with they (ruling TRS) and election commission colluding in this process," he had said.

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).