HC notices to government over polls to Urban Local Bodies

Telangana High Court had issued notices to State government in a PIL petition seeking to conduct elections to some municipalities and two municipal corporations.

Petitioner M. Dharma Rao of Warangal stated that while terms of some municipalities already expired, those of the remaining would end in coming three months. A bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy directed the government to file counter affidavit in the matter within two weeks.

Petitioner’s counsel Ch. Naresh Reddy contended that Supreme Court had earlier ruled that elections to local bodies can be deferred only in exceptional circumstances. In the case of Warangal and Khammam municipal corporations and other municipalities there were no conditions compelling government to conduct polls.

Stating that election process should be initiated three months before the expiry of the terms of the local bodies, Mr. Reddy told the court that the State Election Commission had written a letter to the government seeking its cooperation to begin the steps for election process.

Advocate General B.S. Prasad informed the court that the government was geared up for holding elections in these local bodies. “However, works relating to delimitation of some wards was going on,” he told the bench. He assured that government was ready to take all steps to conduct polls to these urban local bodies.