Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court, challenging the notification and the schedule for municipal polls in the state, which were announced by the State Election Commission (SEC) last week.
In his PIL, Uttam said that the notification should be set aside, as the schedule was announced without notifying the reservations for STs, SCs, BCs and women in the upcoming elections and said that it was ‘contrary to the mandate of the Constitution’, according to media reports.
Last week, announcing the schedule, the SEC said that the notification would be issued on January 7 and the polls would be held on January 22, while the counting would take place on January 25.
With the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct will come into force with immediate effect, the State Election Commission had said in a release.
While the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the municipal corporations of Khammam and Warangal are exempt as the term of their elected representatives is yet to finish, 120 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations will be going to the polls.
Barring the three municipal corporations, the term of all other elected members across the state ended in July this year, and work was being overseen by special officers appointed by the state government.
The election schedule had come after much delay, as several petitions had been filed in court, alleging flaws and dilution of the BC (Backward Class) reservation policy. As the government decided to cap reservation at 50% in the new Municipal Act, BC organisations had cried foul that the move would damage their erstwhile 33% quota that they had in united Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Working President K T Rama Rao held a meeting with party workers on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming polls.