GHMC polls before Aug-end through EVMs
Hyderabad, July 21 :-
The forthcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls will be held only through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). State Election Commision on Tuesday flatly rejected the appeal of the Opposition parties to hold the GHMC polls with ballot papers.
The State Electin Commissioner, Mr A V S Reddy, on Tuesday called for an all-party meeting to discuss the measures to be taken for the smooth conduct of the GHMC polls. Leaders from the ruling Congress, the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), Lok Satta and the communists attended the meeting.
Barring the Congress, leaders from almost all other parties expressed concern over the reports of the possibile tampering of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and wanted the GHMC elections conducted in the old method of ballot papers.
Later, briefing media persons on the outcome of the meeting, the State Election Commissioner said that it is not possible to honour the request of the Opposition parties to conduct the polls with ballot papers. “We can not go back to the old method. The EVMs are fool-proof. However, objections if any, will be recorded on the EVMs,” he added.
Mr A V S Reddy, however, said that the decision to shift back to the old system of ballot papers has to be taken at the higher level and he has no authority to do so. “An immediate decision is not possible,” he said and made it clear that the GHMC polls will be conducted only through EVMs.
Mr A V S Reddy said that the directive of the Andhra Pradesh High Court to hold the polls before the end of August will be honoured. “We will complete the process before the deadline set by the High Court,” he added.
He also announced that the ceiling on the expenditure of each candidate for the GHMC polls has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. “Keeping the Greater limits in view we have decided to increase the ceiling,” he explained.
Mr Reddy also made it clear that the decision on the reservations of wards and municipal divisions for various categories in the GHMC elections is not within the purview of the State Election Commission.