Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar in his reply to State Chief Secretary Neelam Sawhney’s letter, seeking the conduct the local body elections as per the original schedule, said that the elections will remain postponed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
The SEC said that he will restart the election process only after assurance or advice by the National Task Force or the Health Ministry. In his reply, Kumar said, “I am writing to you primarily to clear the misconception that the SEC is ill-informed about coronavirus threat and the financial implications for States. The State Election Commission is also neither alone nor ignorant. SECs are a very informed and proactive group and some of the approaches I have suggested have emanated from our active information sharing platform.”
Kumar said he was in regular touch with the Principal Secretary, health and family welfare but the department did not share any information. The SEC said that the health experts are of the view that India might have entered stage-2. He, however, said if the National Task Force after risk assessment permits the holding elections in Andhra Pradesh, the Commission was prepared to readily revisit the issue before the 6 week postponement proposed.
“I wish for early containment of coronavirus and after assured or advised by the National Task Force or the Health Ministry, wish to restart the election process which is assessed as a high human contact scenario, from where it had been paused,” he said in the letter.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Sawhney had appealed to the SEC to conduct the local body elections as per the schedule announced earlier.
Neelam Sawhney in her letter to SEC had said, “The situation is under control for next 3 to 4 weeks.” Sawhney had requested the state election commissioner to revoke the order of postponement of local body elections and adhere to the schedule announced earlier.
Andhra Pradesh SEC had announced the postponement of local body elections in the state citing coronavirus outbreak as a reason.
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