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TDP-backed’ winners in panchayat polls ‘original’: Nara Lokesh

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TDP-backed’ winners in panchayat polls ‘original’: Nara Lokesh

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary Nara Lokesh on Monday claimed that though the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) aligned candidates ‘marginally’ won more panchayats numerically, the victories of TDP supporters were the original triumph.

He alleged that Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy mocked democracy in the recent elections and claimed that the polls did not happen according to the Constitution written by B. R. Ambedkar.

Lokesh claimed that even though some TDP aligned candidates were tied up and beaten, they did not back off.

“When a few candidates were ahead in vote counting, power was shut down. Counting centres were locked, police resorting to threats. Attacks were carried out,” alleged the TDP leader.

According to Lokesh, at some places where TDP supporters allegedly won the elections, recounting was done to declare YSRCP supporters as winners.

“Like never before in democracy, Reddy resorted to atrocities but TDP activists and leaders boldly withstood them. I salute them all and my special thanks to all the people who protected democracy,” he claimed.

Lokesh alleged that the peaceful environment in the state was lost two years ago and claimed that his support will always be there for TDP party supporters who are striving to bring back Ambedkar’s Constitution.

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Jagan claims sweet revenge in Naidu’s Kuppam

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Jagan claims sweet revenge in Naidu’s Kuppam

YCP Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy gave special focus on former CM Chandrababu Naidu’s Kuppam assembly segment in the present panchayat elections. Now, the YCP has claimed that it has won 74 out of the total 88 panchayats there. The result of another panchayat is awaited. The TDP got just 14 seats.

The ruling party claimed that their party won just 12 sarpanch posts in 2013. This time, there were one way results for the YCP in Naidu’s own constituency.

Overjoyed over this, the YCP leaders have made comments targetting the TDP chief. Minister Botsa Satyanarayana has asserted that Mr. Naidu left his Chandragiri constituency and came to Kuppam in the past. Now, even in Kuppam, he has lost his party base. No wonder, Mr. Naidu would have to choose another assembly segment soon for his political survival.

YCP MLA RK Roja, who has been a bitter critic of Mr. Naidu, has said that the former Chief Minister has gone to Visakhapatnam to uproot the YCP base there in the name of the steel plant agitation. But, back in his own assembly segment, the people have uprooted Mr. Naidu’s party support base.

Since the elections began, the TDP chief has been writing countless letters to the Election Commission seeking steps to ensure free and fair election in Kuppam. As expected, the YCP proved its previous statements and claimed to have erased the TDP from Kuppam as well.

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YCP won 2,639 and TDP just 536 panchayats: Botsa

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YCP won 2,639 and TDP just 536 panchayats: Botsa

YCP Minister Botsa Satyanarayana has claimed that their party has shown impressive performance in the second phase panchayat elections also. He says the YCP has won a total of 2,639 out of the total 3,328 panchayats while the TDP got just 536, BJP 6 and Jana Sen 36 and others 108. Of the total 2,639 seats won by the YCP, 538 seats were won unanimously.

Botsa clarified that this impressive performance showed how the people were attracted to CM Jaganmohan Reddy’s policies all over the State. The welfare programmes launched by the CM were unique and all the benefits were reaching the beneficiaries as per the schedule.

The Minister strongly criticised former CM Chandrababu Naidu, saying that the TDP chief was trying to divert the attention of the people with his jugglery of words. But the YCP would not tell lies with respect to the field level results in the ongoing panchayat elections.

Botsa further asserted that their Government was all prepared for conducting the municipal elections. This time, the Minister carefully avoided any direct remarks on State Election Commissioner Ramesh Kumar.With the SEC giving harsher punishments after the courts’ intervention, the ruling party Ministers were maintaining some restraint unlike before.

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Voters with temperature, Covid symptoms will be separated in AP

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Voters with temperature, Covid symptoms will be separated in AP

In the light of first phase Panchayt polls on Tuesday, Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj commissioner Girija Shankar on Monday said election officials will conduct thermal scanning of all the voters to filter out people with temperature or Coronavirus symptoms to facilitate them to exercise their franchise separately.

“All the Coronavirus precautionary measures have been taken. Temperatures will be checked when the voters will in the queue. Anyone with high temperature will be separated,” said Shankar.

He said such voters will be allowed to vote between 2.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. using a PPE kit. Similarly, anyone who is Covid positive will be allowed to in a similar way, he added.

“Distribution in about 2,700 gram panchayats is underway today. After randomization, election personnel will be informed of their polling stations and given the order. Later, they will take PO and APO and verify it,” said Shankar, explaining about the preparations for the polls.

He said all the arrangements required for election officers have been put in place, including bandobust for peaceful polls at all places.

Elections will start from 6.30 a.m. on Tuesday and last until 3.30 p.m. while vote counting will begin from 4 p.m.

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Nominations begin for 3rd phase panchayat polls in Andhra Pradesh

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Nominations begin for 3rd phase panchayat polls in Andhra Pradesh

Nominations for the third phase of the four-phase panchayat elections in Andhra Pradesh started on Saturday.

Though panchayat elections are supposed to be held on a non-political basis, every move in these elections is happening discreetly under the direction of political parties, with lakhs of rupees being allegedly spent to influence voters.

Candidates are openly carrying the flags and insignia of political parties such as Janasena, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Set to last for three days, nominations will be accepted between 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Display of ward-wise electoral rolls of gram panchayats by the returning officer will begin on the same day as nominations in all the four phases of the elections.

Nominations for sarpanches and ward members for the third phase will be accepted till 5 p.m. on Monday.

Only two persons will be allowed to accompany the candidates for the nomination.

The third phase election will be held on February 17 from 6.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., and the counting of votes will start from 4 p.m. on the same day.

As many as 19 revenue divisions will go to the polls in the third phase: Srikakulam, Palakonda, Vizianagaram, Paderu, Rampachodavaram, Yetapaka, Jangareddigudem, Kukunuru, Machilipatnam, Gurazala, Kandukur, Gudur, Naidupet, Adoni, Kurnool, Ananthapuramu, Rajampet, Kadapa and Madanapalle.

As many as 3,558 panchayats will go to the polls.

Meanwhile, people who filed their nomination for the first phase election have started campaigning and also received their election symbols.

Candidates and their supporters are visiting each and every house in the villages to ask for votes. To familiarize the voters, sarpanch and ward member candidates are showcasing their symbols.

Panchayat elections were originally supposed to be held in 2018 when the tenure of the local bodies ended but State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar chose not to hold them and wait until now.
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Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wanted to hold the polls in March 2020 but Kumar refused to give the green signal, citing the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a major standoff between the two.

Reddy accused Kumar of acting at the behest of opposition leader Nara Chandrababu Naidu, during whose tenure he was appointed and even tried to replace him, which backfired as the SEC has Constitutional protection equal to a Supreme Court judge.

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Poll app aimed at helping TDP in panchayat polls: YSRCP

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Poll app aimed at helping TDP in panchayat polls: YSRCP

Senior YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Ambati Rambabu alleged on Thursday that the election monitoring app, ‘Watch’, launched by State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, is part of a plan to help the Telugu Desam Party win in the ensuring rural local bodies elections.

“There is no need to believe the app,” said the Sattenapalle MLA, disagreeing with Kumar over his comments on unanimous election in some places.

He said that village panchayats, which settled for unanimous elections, should be appreciated as they chose to have no disagreements or disputes.

Assailing ‘Watch’, Rambabu reminded that in 2020, a highly controversial letter, allegedly drafted in the Telugu Desam Party office, was forwarded by Kumar to the Union Home Secretary to undermine Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The YSRCP leader faulted Kumar for visiting a panchayat election contestant in East Godavari district following her husband’s death and expressed his surprise as to how an SEC could do such a thing.

Rambabu also criticised TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu for the comments he made after meeting the party’s spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram, who was attacked by unidentified miscreants on Wednesday.

Besides Rambabu, YSRCP leader Lella Appi Reddy has already submitted a complaint to the State Election Commission about ‘Watch’.

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Restrain SEC from using ‘eWatch’, says plea in Andhra HC

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Restrain SEC from using ‘eWatch’, says plea in Andhra HC

A lawyer has moved the Andhra Pradesh High Court to seek an order to restrain State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar from using ‘eWatch’, an election monitoring digital app.

In his petition, advocate K Sudhakar from Prakasam district instead sought the use of ‘CVIGIL’ app of the Election Commission of India or ‘Nigha’ of the state government.

Questions have been raised as to when and how the tenders for developing ‘eWatch’ were notified.

On Wednesday, Kumar had launched ‘election watch’ or ‘eWatch’ to monitor the ongoing rural local body elections, which the State Election Commission Secretary Kannababu said was developed in-house.

Some of the categories in which people can lodge complaints include public officials involved in promotion of candidates or parties, canvassing within 100 metres of polling stations, booth capturing and election-related violence.

However, the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders allege that the app has been developed to “benefit” the opposition Telugu Desam Party. They have instead launched their own app ‘Netram’ to solicit complaints from the public.

Before these two apps, the TDP was the first political party to solicit complaints from the public on election violations in the form of photographs and videos.

The TDP had set up a control room with a call centre number to receive the complaints, including on WhatsApp.

“Please take the advisories from advocates of the party’s legal cell,” said a TDP leader, aimed at helping TDP supporters contesting the elections.

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No deployment of Central forces for civic body polls: Andhra SEC

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No deployment of Central forces for civic body polls: Andhra SEC

Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar on Friday said he would conduct the panchayat elections with the help of state government personnel and had no intention to deploy Central forces.

“These elections will happen only with state personnel, we don’t have any intention to use Central forces. We have complete faith in the state personnel who are enough to efficiently conduct the elections,” Kumar added.

He visited the Anantapur district on Friday and met the District Collector Gandham Chandrudu and Superintendent of Police (SP) Satya Yesu Babu to review preparations for the rural local body elections.

In the first phase of the elections for which nominations began on Friday, Kadiri revenue division and 12 ‘mandalams’ are going to the polls on February 9 in the district.

Amadagur, Bukkapatnam, Gandlapenta, Kadiri, Kothacheruvu, NP Kunta, Nallacheruvu, Nallamada, Obuladevaracheruvu, Puttaparthi, Talupula and Tanakal are the 12 mandalams.

Kumar congratulated Chandrudu and Babu for making all the necessary arrangements without requiring him to give any special directives.

However, he said it could be a challenge to handle the difficulties arising from the large inter-state border.

The SEC called upon all people in the state to actively participate in the rural local body elections.

“With your participation, institutions like panchayats will strengthen. When the elections get over quickly, the rural local bodies will also receive their funds and good leadership,” said the former Indian Administrative Service official.

Kumar assured the people of the state that all security arrangements have been made, including stretching polling time from 6.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., as social distancing norms had to be followed.

According to the State Election Commissioner, polling time in pre-Covid times used to be between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.

He assured that the last one hour of polling would be allocated to those Covid positive voters interested in exercising their franchise.

“In the last hour, those Covid positive patients who evinced interest to vote will be provided PPE kits and will be allowed to vote. I appreciate the District Collector for making all the arrangements for employees,” Kumar said.

Set to retire on March 31, Kumar has scheduled four-phase panchayat elections, whose process begun on Friday with the nominations for the first phase while the last phase elections would be held on February 21.

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Nominations begin for 1st phase of panchayat polls in Andhra

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Nominations begin for 1st phase of panchayat polls in Andhra

Nominations for the first phase of four phase rural local bodies’ (panchayat) elections have started on Friday and will last for three days.

Nominations will be accepted between 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Display of ward-wise electoral rolls of gram panchayats by the returning officer will begin on the same day of nominations in all the four phases of elections.

Last day for receiving nominations for sarpanches and ward members for the first phase will end at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Only two persons will be allowed to accompany the candidates.

The election will be held on February 9 from 6.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., and the counting of votes will start from 4 p.m. on the same day.

As many as 18 revenue divisions will go to polls in the first phase: Srikakulam, Tekkali, Palakonda, Anakapalli, Kakinada, Peddapuram, Narasapuram, Vijayawada, Tenali, Ongole, Kavali, Nandyal, Kurnool, Kadiri, Jammalamadugu, Kadapa, Rajampeta and Chittoor.

Except Vizianagaram, elections have been scheduled in all the districts in the first phase.

As many as 3,249 villages will go for polls, which contain 32,504 wards.

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We welcome unanimous panchayat polls sans conspiracies: Janasena

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We welcome unanimous panchayat polls sans conspiracies: Janasena

anasena Party’s Nadendla Manohar said on Thursday that it was common to dole out financial incentives to panchayat for unanimous elections but demanded that they should be held sans conspiracies.

“Incentives for unanimous elections are common anywhere. We also welcome them. But this state government is conspiring to bring forced unanimity. We can understand this very clearly,” said Manohar, who is party founder Pawan Kalyan’s aide.

Along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Somu Veerraju and others, Manohar met Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan on Thursday and made several requests.

“We discussed the prevailing political situation in Andhra Pradesh. We discussed the coming panchayat polls, law and order in the state, past experiences and disallowing nominations illegally,” he claimed.

Manohar said they urged the Governor to personally monitor the elections and issue directives to the government to uphold democracy.

He said that the opposition leaders reminded Harichandan about the alleged statements made by state Ministers and others on the polls.

The Janasena leader called for nominations at all places in the state with a festival-like celebration and also suggested that people should retaliate against the state government’s alleged conspiracies.

Manohar reiterated that Kalyan desires to encourage participation of the youth in politics.

“We also informed the Governor that farmers did not get compensated for the losses they suffered. Another important matter is attacks on temples,” he said.

Meanwhile, Andhra BJP President Somu Veerraju alleged that the government encouraged skirmishes in the past MPTC and ZPTC elections, leading to many injuries.

“At many places, YSCRP activists troubled the BJP and Janasena activists. In some districts, we observed that maximum ZPTCs witnessed unanimous elections,” he claimed.

He said such a situation should not be repeat in the coming polls.

Veerraju alleged that the YSRCP government was “not serious about temple attacks”, whose investigation it first entrusted to the CID and then formed an SIT.

He decried that the state government was filing cases against BJP cadres and ally’s activists, even for social media posts, and claimed that the Supreme Court disapproved of such activities.

He also accused the state government of encouraging communalism. “They are building churches with public money. Why are they building churches? Why is it (government) giving salaries to church pastors? All these issues have been conveyed to the Governor,” the BJP leader said.

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AP High Court to hear new petition against panchayat polls

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AP High Court to hear new petition against panchayat polls

One issue or another is constantly obstructing the AP panchayat polls. First, CM Jagan wanted the elections to be completed in March last year. His Government was thinking of shifting Capital after finishing the polls at that time. The State Election Commission postponed the elections because of Coronavirus in March last year. Now, after the Supreme Court gave the green signal, the panchayat polls were restarted.

But now, once again, another petition was filed before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh against the polls. A student named Akhila filed the petition seeking the court’s order to stay the elections. She took objection to continuing to hold the elections with over 3.6 lakh young people not getting their voting right. Her petition is coming up for hearing today. If the court stays the polls now, then Ramesh Kumar would have no chance to complete the poll during his tenure.

This problem arose because the SEC is holding the election based on the 2019 voter list. SEC Ramesh Kumar had to do this as the State Government officials could not furnish the latest 2021 voter list in time.

Rumours doing the roads say that some hidden forces are once again working overtime to postpone the election till after Ramesh Kumar retires in two months.

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AP govt assures safety for employees on poll duty

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AP govt assures safety for employees on poll duty

Government employee associations in Andhra Pradesh have been assured by the state government of safety in the forthcoming panchayat elections.

The state government promised it will make sure there are no hiccups.

Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das spoke to the employee unions and told them about the model code of conduct and their duties.

As it is not an easy task to carry out elections and vaccination at the same time, he informed the employees that the state government had written to the central government for guidance.

Das also told the employees that he will discuss with State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar about the concerns raised by the employees.

Meanwhile, representative of the employees union Venkatrami Reddy said they requested the government to provide all facilities for protection during election duty.

“We requested the government to grant compensation of Rs 50 lakh to those employees who succumb to coronavirus during election duty,” said Reddy.

They also requested the government not to deploy women employees over 50 years of age for election duty, including those employees suffering from health problems.

The employees’ representatives said they will extend all support for the elections.

Chandrasekhar Reddy, another representative, said they requested Das to vaccinate employees and then deploy them on election duty, which he said will discuss with the SEC.

Bopparaju Venkateshwarlu, revenue employees representative, said he requested the chief secretary to ensure that employees receive PPE kits which the SEC promised them.

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BJP, Janasena denounce Andhra govt’s call for unanimous polls

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BJP, Janasena denounce Andhra govt’s call for unanimous polls

Even as the Andhra Pradesh government is encouraging unanimous elections declaring financial incentives up to Rs 20 lakh for gram panchayats, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its local ally Janasena denounced the move on Wednesday.

“Unanimous elections are a ploy by the government to scare people, to bring pressure on candidates who want to contest. Using the local administration to make people withdraw from elections, it is a conspiracy to make elections unanimous,” alleged Janasena leader Nadendla Manohar.

Manohar said as a political party, the Janasena has a responsibility in the matter and called for nominations across the state.

“But the government is encouraging unanimous polls. It is surprising that the government is encouraging unanimous polls with press conferences and wide publicity,” he observed.

He demanded that the State Election Commission on behalf of the BJP and the Janasena take suo motu cognizance of the issue and look into it, calling for elections to take place in all villages and panchayats, to negate unanimous polls.

Manohar said both the parties have taken an appointment with Governor Bisaw Bhusan Harichandan on Friday to make a representation.

“Elections should happen in a free and transparent environment. Democracy should be upheld. Administration should also work to uphold democracy,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh government announced financial incentives up to Rs 20 lakh in the forthcoming panchayat polls to encourage unanimous elections and thereby enable the gram panchayats to concentrate on development work.

Unanimous elections in gram panchayats (GPs) with a population less than 2,000 will receive a financial incentive of Rs 5 lakh while GPs with a population between 2,001 to 5,000 will receive Rs 10 lakh.

Likewise, GPs with a population between 5,001 to 10,000 will receive an incentive of Rs 15 lakh for unanimous elections.

Those GPs with a population above 10,000 will receive Rs 20 lakh.

Manohar, an aide of actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, who founded the Janasena just before the general elections in 2014, said the alliance partners, BJP and Janasena, will encourage the youth to contest elections across the state.

“This opportunity will encourage youth to move forward in public life, which Pawan Kalyan also called for. Both the BJP and the Janasena decided to contest at all places in the panchayat elections,” he added.

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Jagan outsmarts SEC, announces incentives for panchayats

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Jagan outsmarts SEC, announces incentives for panchayats

Ultimately, win or lose, CM Jaganmohan Reddy seems to be having the last laugh. His Government is unwillingly conducting the panchayat elections following the victory of State Election Commissioner Ramesh Kumar in the Supreme Court. But, the CM and his Advisors are creating as many problems as possible for the SEC in a variety of ways.

Ramesh Kumar stressed the need for preventing unanimous elections everywhere in the State so as to ensure a level playing field for all contestants. He ordered for the services of an IG level officer to keep a close watch on the leaders who may use force or threats to cause forced unanimous elections. Obviously, the SEC issued this considering how the YCP used different methods to make sure many ZPTCs and MPTCs were unanimously elected.

Now, the Jagan regime came out with a unique counter to the SEC’s orders on unanimous elections. The Government has announced incentives for the panchayats where candidates win unanimously. A GO has already been issued. An incentive of Rs. 5 lakh would be given for a panchayat with a population of 2,000. The incentive would be Rs. 10 lakh for a panchayat having 2,000 to 5,000 population and Rs. 20 lakh for panchayats having above 10,000 population.

What more, CM’s Advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has said that the SEC was wrong in giving a call for avoiding the unanimous elections.

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Slim chances for Jagan to stop panchayat polls

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Slim chances for Jagan to stop panchayat polls

The cat-and-mouse game between Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and State Election Commissioner N Ramesh Kumar has reached a climax. As on today, things turned out in favour of the SEC. The Supreme Court refused to consider the AP petition for staying the panchayat polls since the petition was faulty and incomplete. A fresh petition could come up for hearing only on Monday.

Meanwhile, the SEC is all set to release his notification for the polls on Saturday itself. Once the notification is issued, it would be difficult for the Jagan Reddy regime to effectively argue before the Supreme Court for the postponement of the elections. Time has run out for the AP Government.

Despite this, the AP lawyers were trying to move a house petition before the Apex Court today or tomorrow. It is clear the Jagan regime is trying hard to prevent the SEC from issuing the election notification.

Meanwhile, senior IAS officers Gopalakrishna Dwivedi and Girija Shankar met with the Chief Minister and discussed the latest situation emerging out of the Supreme Court denial. The two officials are going to meet the SEC in the evening to discuss the conduct of the election. This coordination became necessary as per the order of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh.

Analysts say Nimmagadda has almost gained an upper hand in the whole issue. If he is able to conduct the panchayat polls as scheduled in February, then it will be seen as a moral blow to the CM at personal and political levels.

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Jagan Govt goes to court against SEC’s panchayat polls

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Jagan Govt goes to court against SEC’s panchayat polls

The State Election Commission of Andhra Pradesh has announced its statement for conducting the local body polls in February. SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar has said that he had taken the opinion of all political parties. As a Constitutional institution, the SEC has got powers to take the decision independent of the AP Government.

But now, as expected, the Jagan Reddy Government has once started creating hurdles. Once again, the YCP regime knocked on the doors of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. Panchayat Raj department has filed a petition in the court seeking stay on the local body polls announced by the SEC.

In its petition, the Government claimed that the SEC’s decision was in total violation of the Supreme Court’s orders for taking utmost care of the public health in this Coronavirus time. The AP Government was strongly committed to protecting the health of the people in the State.

The Chief Secretary initially said the Government machinery was not prepared to conduct the local polls. Now, the Government is saying that Coronavirus is the reason for seeking a stoppage of the polls.

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