The Election Commission Coordination Committee of the Telangana Congress has appealed to the State Election Commission (SEC) to postpone the elections to Khammam, Warangal municipal corporations, and other municipalities in the State to save the lives of the public otherwise the SEC and the State government will have to take the responsiblity for any harm caused to the people.
Committee chairman Marri Shashidhar Reddy and convenor G. Niranjan sent a letter to the SEC here stating that it will be very difficult to conduct the polls without putting to risk the general public, voters, workers of the political parties and election personnel and other persons involved in providing ancillary services.
They said the SEC and the government have taken a unilateral decision without taking into consideration the opinion of political parties and representatives of the employees and others, as per the schedule announced by the SEC on April 15, 2021. They reminded how the High Court too had come down heavily on the State government for not taking steps to reduce the gathering of the people in public places. During elections there would be mass public gatherings and they have to avoided, they argued.
They said even Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was infected by the coronavirus at a public meeting held in Haliya on April 14 apart from the TRS candidate and several leaders who were present. They also drew attention to the death of candidates in Bengal Assembly elections due to COVID-19.
The Congress leaders said that thousands of employees would be deployed for these elections and the SEC cannot put them and their families at risk. Moreover, candidates will undertake door-to-door campaign to approach the voters which will ultimately put the voters and general public into risk and cause spread of COVID-19.
