AP government gets huge respite as HC cancels local elections schedule

In what could be termed as a huge respite for YSRCP government of Andhra Pradesh , High Court today cancelled the schedule issued by state election commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar and concurred with the argument of the state government that the local body elections could not be held at this moment because of the planned vaccination schedule. Details as below.

The government of Andhra Pradesh and state election commission have been at loggerheads ever since state election commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar postponed local body elections citing Covid 19 proliferation last year. At that time CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy alleged that State election Commissioner has been working as per the orders of former chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu as both of them belong to the same community and as he was appointed by the former chief minister. But recently Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar has been planning to conduct local body elections before he steps out from his position . But it seems now, the government is adamant and wants to have elections only after he steps out.

In this backdrop, Nimmagadda released schedule of local body elections recently, citing that COVID has been in control in AP, which came as shocker to the government. But as vaccination plan for COVID-19 is in place already, government has invoked article 19 of the constitution i.e. right to live and the Honourable court has concurred with the argument put forward by the government. So, the court has made the schedule released by SEC null and void.

We need to wait and see how the political parties respond to this.