Kiran Govt going back on local body polls?

The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh appears to have developed election phobia against the backdrop of growing unrest over issues like power shortage, water scarcity and steep hike in electricity tariff, besides political factors.

The party that had made claims about conducting elections to the local bodies -- both rural and urban -- in the third week of April or early May, has now gone back on its word. 

It is also said to be wary of facing by-elections in as many as 18 Assembly constituencies in the event of disqualification of rebel MLAs (of Congress as well as TDP). Political factors apart, anti-incumbency trend is apparently making the Congress diffident about facing any elections at the present juncture. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had announced on March 16 that elections to Panchayat Raj institutions would be conducted in the third week of April or the first week of May but so far the government has not communicated its decision to the State Election Commission (SEC) in this regard. 

The electoral rolls, however, have been published, indicating that the SEC is ready to conduct polls as and when the government comes forward. But as such there is no indication that elections to rural local bodies are being held over the next few days. In fact, the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to the state government in February for the conduct of elections to Panchayat Raj institutions and Urban Local Bodies but the Congress is still dragging its feet. 

People are agitated over the steep hike in electricity tariff and levy of fuel adjustment surcharge running into several thousands of crores of rupees at a time when the state is in the grip of an unprecedented power crisis. 

Villages are badly affected with power supply restricted to only a few hours of the day. Being summer, drinking water problem in rural areas is obvious and the power crisis has only aggravated the situation. These issues have left the farmers high and dry during the Rabi season and the prospects do not look encouraging for the ensuing Kharif either. Going to polls in such a scenario could only be counter- productive for the ruling party, its leaders apprehend. Hence, the state Congress and the government are silent on the polls. 

Now, indications are that elections to Panchayat Raj institutions might be held only after mid-June when the (power and drinking water) crisis may ease. Elections to ULBs will be held, if at all, only after the poll process in Panchayat Raj institutions is completed. In the meantime, 18 MLAs (nine each of Congress and TDP) are facing disqualification proceedings following their vote against the government (on March 15) on the no-confidence motion. Both parties have petitioned Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar seeking disqualification of their rebel legislators and he set the proceedings in motion by issuing notices to them. Of the 18 rebels, 13 have written a letter to the Speaker requesting him to disqualify them straightaway so as to enable conduct of by-elections in the respective constituencies. 

Going by such previous instances (the latest being March last year), the Speaker is unlikely to act in haste and will only take a call after following due procedure, sources close to him aver. The Congress precisely wants this as due procedure will only consume a lot of time and give it a breather. According to the Chief Minister, the Election Commission of India would generally not conduct by-elections -- as per Section 151(A) of the Representation of People Act -- if general elections are just about a year away. As per schedule, general elections in Andhra Pradesh are due towards the end of April 2014. So, the Congress wishes that if at all the disqualification of the rebel MLAs happens after April, by-polls could then be avoided. 

For the record, however, both Chief Minister Reddy and state Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana had announced many a time that they were not only prepared to face by-elections but also would win them. However, the fact remains otherwise. 

The TDP, too, is not ready to face by-elections though it wants its rebels to be axed. The fact that it has not won a single seat in by- elections to over 60 Assembly constituencies since 2009, is leaving the TDP apprehensive of facing polls now. 

It is only preparing for the big battle next year, which will be a do-or-die for the party. The YSR Congress is the only party that wants by-polls as they will provide yet another opportunity for it to test the political waters in the run-up to the general elections. 

-PTI