Poll postponement: SEC briefs Governor

Ramesh explains circumstances leading to deferral by 6 weeks

State Election Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar met Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan at Raj Bhavan on Monday and briefed him about the reasons for deferring by six weeks the elections to the local bodies.

According to sources in the State Election Commission (SEC), Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar took an appointment on Sunday to meet the Governor on Monday morning.

Mr Kumar met the Governor and briefed him for about 50 minutes about the circumstances that led to the decision to postpone the election process by six weeks. Though the SEC was expected to brief mediapersons about his meeting with the Governor later in the day, he did not do so. No press release was also issued until late in the night.

The SEC authorities are tight-lipped about what transpired between the Governor and the SEC.

It may be recalled that as reported in Deccan Chronicle on Sunday, soon after the SEC announced the postponement of the elections to local bodies by six weeks based on the Centre’s health advisory on Coronavirus (Covid-19), besides taking into account the escalating pre-election violence, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy spoke out and accused the SEC of being motivated by caste considerations to helping the

Telugu Desam and only used Covid-19 as a pretext.

Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney also wrote a letter to the State Election Commissioner, asking him to revoke his decision to defer elections, saying there was no major health hazard in the state owing to Covid19.

The SEC, as reported in DC, took the decision after taking the go-ahead from the Centre. Commissioner Kumar is facing a tough time currently, with Opposition TD, BJP and Jana Sena demanding that the process of elections to local bodies be started afresh, even as the ruling YSRC is insisting on continuing the election process and complete its conduct as per the original schedule. ad of coronavirus in the State is under control.