HYDERABAD: Chief minister
Kiran Kumar Reddy is said to have got the nod from the Congress high
command to hold panchayati raj elections next month. According to party
sources, the CM discussed the poll prospects of the Congress with the national leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi
during his Delhi sojourn last week when the party candidates for the
MLC polls were finalised. Kiran Reddy is believed to have convinced the
high command on holding the panchayat polls at the earliest.

As
the CM expected to consult party colleagues and the government
officials on the issue on Monday, a Congress leader said the panchayat
elections are expected to be notified by April 25.

“The CM is
bullish on holding polls for panchayat institutions and urban local
bodies (ULBs), and the issue was majorly discussed in the cabinet
meeting held last week. I think the polls will be held in April-May,”
said the Congress leader.

With the Supreme Court giving the
go-ahead with the existing pattern of reservation, there are no legal
hurdles for holding elections to the local bodies that was put on the
backburner two years back.

While the term of the local bodies
including 22 Zilla Praja Parishat (ZPP), 1,100 Mandal Praja Parishat
(MPP), 108 Municipalities, and 16 Municipal Corporations ended in July
2011, the state government dithered to hold elections.

However,
with the Congress claiming to have won 454 out of 955 Primary
Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) that went for polls last
month, the CM is planning to take the momentum forward to win the local
body elections billed as the semi finals before the 2014 general
elections.

While the principal opposition party TDP won 276
PACS, YSR Congress had to satisfy with 163 and the TRS with 60 PACS. The
party’s performance even in the District Cooperative Central Bank
(DCCB) polls was much satisfactory.

As pressure was being
mounted on the government to hold the elections right from the expiry of
the local bodies elected in June 2006, a legal hurdle had come in the
way in the form of a reservation case pending in the Supreme Court.

While the government wanted to conduct the polls with the existing
pattern of reservation that ensures 30% quota for backward communities,
the High Court had struck it down, saying overall reservation including
SC/ST quota exceeds the mandatory cap of 50%. The state government had
moved the Supreme Court against the High Court order, and the apex court
set aside the HC order on February 18 this year.

As the
political parties are grappling with the various internal issues and yet
to gear up for the polls, the Congress wants to hit when the iron is
hot and showing all urgency to conduct the elections for the local
bodies.

“The party leaders feel, if we can repeat the PACS show
in the local body polls, then the upbeat sentiment can be taken forward
for the general elections,” said Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, an AICC
secretary and member of the Legislative Council.

With the SC
giving the go-ahead with the existing pattern of reservation, there are
no legal hurdles for holding elections to the local bodies.