Jagan enquires about election arrangements after SC order

‘It was for public health that we wanted the polls to be on hold for a few months’

With the Supreme Court upholding the Andhra Pradesh High Court order that the local body elections should not be postponed on the ground that the government is preoccupied with COVID vaccination, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy discussed the immediate course of action with Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy (Panchayat Raj) and Botcha Satyanarayana (Municipal Administration), Advocate-General S. Sriram and some top officials.

Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy enquired about the arrangements to be made for the polls that are scheduled to be held in four phases even as the government employees continue to fear the health risk associated with attending the poll duty.

“The government respects the apex court judgment. But, the elections were not sought to be postponed to gain an upper hand on somebody as alleged by the opposition parties,” Advisor to Government (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy told the media on Monday.

He stated that while setting the stage for polls, the government would seek the Centre’s advice on how to go about the COVID vaccination.

‘Ready for polls’

“The YSRCP is ready for polls. It was for the public health that we wanted the elections to be on hold for a few months,” he asserted.