It is known news that, after KCR dissolved Telangana assembly and announced early elections, Congress leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy filed a petition in Supreme court. He urged honorable court to intervene and halt election process. However, SC asked him to go to Hyderabad High court. Today, high court will be hearing Shashidhar Reddy’s petition and all other petitions filed on this subject.
Senior Congress leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy filed petition in Supreme court questioning the early elections in Telangana and alleging irregularities in the preparation of electoral rolls. Hearing this petition, Supreme court division bench ruled that the High Court had the powers to stay the conduct of elections. Supreme Court asked the Hyderabad High Court to hear all the petitions filed on the subject of early elections.
There is another petition that is questioning Election commission rule that says, to register as voter, one needs to attain the age of 18 years by January 1st of the same year. Now as KCR going for early elections, those who attained 18 years after `1st Jan 2018 will not be eligible to vote. Had elections happened in 2019 as per the mandate, they all would have voted. Petitioner argued that, because of the early elections, a large number of first time voters would be deprived on their right to vote.
Other than these two, there are four more petitions,citing different reasons, arguing elections should be conducted in 2019 as per mandate. It will be interesting to see how HC responds on this. Because, any delay in Telangana elections, will completely change equations and dynamics of current political scenarios. We’ll have to wait and see how HC responds.
