Parties get a warning over caste meets, 3 ministers on notice

HYDERABAD: Telangana chief electoral officer Rajat Kumar took a severe note of caste-based meetings by the political parties and leaders and served notices to three ministers and parties for violating the rules.

"It has come to our notice that caste corporation chairpersons are holding meetings in which ministers are taking part. We have taken a serious view of these meetings. According to the rules, no candidate shall seek votes in the name of caste," he warned.

The only exemption given is that ministers or candidates can go to private functions and attend them in their individual capacity but cannot seek votes. The Congress has complained to the CEO that IT minister KT Rama Rao participated in a meeting with Gujarati and Marwadi communities in Telangana Bhavan, while irrigation minister T Harish Rao took part in a Yadava mahasabha in Gajwel. Finance minister Etala Rajender took part in a Mudiraj mahasabha, it pointed out. Telangana Election Watch convener Padmanabha Reddy said they have raised objections with the ECI to stop caste-based meetings conducted by political leaders in the name of seeking blessings of communities. "Politicians are meeting caste and linguistic groups and seeking votes," he told TOI.

The election authorities received 98 complaints on violation of the model code of conduct based on which cases have been booked, while a report is awaited in 48 cases.