Four years after the Bifurcation, clarity is yet to emerge on the placement of several villages located in the seven mandals that were transferred to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh (AP).
The fate of the electors in several villages of the seven mandals transferred to AP from Telangana is not clear as is evident from the queries raised by the Election Commission in its recent letter addressed to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The EC dealing with the proposed increase in Legislative Assembly seats in Telangana (from 119 to 153) and Andhra Pradesh (from 175 to 225) said some discrepancies had been noticed in the extent of the Assembly constituencies on the borders of Khammam in Telangana and East and West Godavari districts of AP.
Transferred to AP
The entire area of Kukunoor, Velairpadu and Burgampahad mandals not including revenue villages of Pinapaka, Morampalli Banzar, Burgampahad, Nagineniprolu, Krishnasagar, Tekula, Sarapaka, Iravendi, Mothepattinagar, Uppusaka, Sompalli and Nakripeta under the Palvancha Revenue Division, and Chintoor, Kunavaram, Vararamachandrapuram and Bhadrachalam (not including the revenue village of Bhadrachalam) under the Bhadrachalam Revenue Division were transferred to the successor State of Andhra Pradesh.
The Commission said while Nellipaka mandal was shown to be part of the Rampachodavaram (ST) Assembly constituency of AP, it had not been found in the extent of the effected Assembly constituencies in the orders issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Likewise, revenue villages Seetharamanagaram, Sridhara Velair, Gumpanapalli, Ganapavaram, Ibrahimpet and Ravigudem were excluded from the Pinapaka Assembly constituency, but there was no mention in the records as to in which Assembly constituency these excluded villages should be included. The case of Bhadrachalam Assembly constituency pointed another instance of discrepancy in that Bhadrachalam revenue village had been retained in Telangana, but there was no mention as to in which Assembly constituency the remaining part of the Bhadrachalam mandal has to be kept.
The discrepancies arose on perusal of the request from the MHA to determine the exact number of seats including those belonging to the SC/ST communities consequent on the decision to enhance the Assembly seats in the two successor States.
The Union Home Ministry, on its part, had addressed a letter on April 19 asking the two States to clarify the position of these villages so that the exact number of SC/ST seats both in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh could be worked out as there was no response from the two governments on the issue.
Published - April 27, 2018 12:20 am IST
