The Hindu 11.05.2013
Local body polls in June, says Revenue Minister
Raghuveera says panchayat elections will be conducted on non-party basis.
Elections to local bodies at all the three levels in
Andhra Pradesh will be held between June and August, Revenue Minister N.
Raghuveera Reddy said here on Friday. He indicated that notification
for the Panchayat bodies will be issued in the first week of June and
elections will be conducted in the same month.
While
the panchayat elections will be conducted on non-party basis, Municipal
elections and Zilla Parishad elections will see political parties
locking horns on party symbols, the Minister said. “The government
proposes to notify elections for all municipalities and corporations in
July, while Zilla Parishad elections will be held in August,” he added.
The
government proposes to maintain status quo in the modality of local
body elections and a final decision on whether to hold direct or
indirect elections to the posts of Mayors, chairpersons will be taken
shortly, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy told
The Hindu.
The Revenue Minister along with Secondary Education
Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy, who had come to Kanuru panchayat on city
outskirts, to lay foundation for black-top roads in the village, opined
that the party’s victory in Karnataka will go a long way in influencing
the voters in Andhra Pradesh too in the coming Assembly elections.
“Modi-impact
was not visible in the recent Karnataka elections and people are wise
enough to take the right decision at the right time,” they said
indicating Congress will do a hat-trick of victories in Andhra Pradesh.
They
opined that advancing elections in the State or the Centre was not a
possibility at all as the Congress party does not believe in it.
Asked
about the number of candidates aspiring for the Chief Minister’s post
after 2014 elections, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy said making the final choice
was in the domain of the party high command. He also denied that there
was any dissidence in the party.
