Andhra SEC asks DGP to confine Minister to his home till polls are over

Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar on Saturday ordered the Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang to confine Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy to his home until the end of panchayat polls, for allegedly threatening officials to not follow the SEC’s directives.

"Having carefully looked at various alternatives and avenues of remedial action, the commission by invoking its plenary powers under Article 243 K of the Constitution, directs DGP to confine Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development to his residential premises till the completion of elections to the gram panchayats which will conclude by February 21," ordered Ramesh Kumar.

According to the SEC, Ramachandra Reddy held a press conference on Friday and allegedly threatened officials by saying, “The collectors and returning officers in the state are warned not to obey the instructions of the madcap election commissioner. If they follow the commission's instructions (preventing forced unanimous elections), action will be taken against them and they will be blacklisted.”

Ramesh Kumar alleged that the minister said that the SEC will remain in office only till March 2021 but their government will continue beyond and will take those officers to task.

However, a closer translation of Ramachandra Reddy’s statements amount to, “Definitely, to all the collectors in the state, whoever has been appointed as a returning officer in the state, I am telling all of them, if you resort to any corrupt practice and unilaterally take action, listening to the election commission, we will not only take action against you but also will be in the blacklist until our government is there.”

Watch Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy's statement 

Ramachandra Reddy said that Ramesh Kumar is working in a very unjustified way and there was no need for any officer to respect him. He also called on the election officials to issue declaration certificates to those people who won the elections unanimously, as the minister took objection to the SEC's directive to Guntur and Chittoor collectors to withhold the unanimous election results in these districts.

However, Ramesh Kumar said that he received innumerable complaints against Ramachandra Reddy which expressed apprehensions over the sanctity of elections.

"Statement made by the minister had certainly created fear psychosis in the minds of the local body electorate. Therefore, it is the bounden Constitutional duty of the state election commission to respond in the said circumstances to instill confidence in the electorate," asserted the SEC.

Though Ramesh Kumar directed the DGP to confine Ramachandra Reddy to his home, he gave leeway for him to discharge his official paperwork and other limited relaxations.