Covid-19: Ex-MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy urges Telangana CM KCR not to conduct municipal polls

HYDERABAD: Former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Telangana Jana Samithi president M Kodandaram and educationist Chukka Ramaiah, among others, have urged chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to direct the State Election Commission to postpone the municipal elections in view of the serious health crisis arising out of a surge in Covid-19 cases and its related deaths.
In a letter to CM KCR on Saturday, Vishweshwar Reddy, one of the richest politicians in the country, along with other eminent personalities, stated that the Assembly elections being held in West Bengal and other states cannot be cited as an excuse to hold polls in Telangana.
The Assembly elections schedule for West Bengal and other states was decided when there was no second wave, whereas the municipal poll notification in Telangana was issued at the peak of the second wave.
They said people are now in panic due to daily rise in cases and death toll.
In such a situation, conducting municipal elections is inhuman.
Instead of implementing measures to contain the virus, the government's persistence on conducting elections is indirectly accelerating the transmission of the virus.
This was already proved by the rapid increase in the number of cases during campaigning for Nagarjuna Sagar by-poll due to a large number of state leaders got affected by Coronavirus including the chief minister.
It is important to realise that throughout the country elections have been the reason for mass transmission of Covid-19.
Given the scenario, going forth with elections by risking the lives of thousands of people is unethical.
Moreover, these elections do not directly impact the state'sfunctioning, so there is no harm in postponing them for another six months or so, they said.
Nearly 6000 Covid-19 cases are being reported daily.
There is a severe dearth of medicines, testing equipment, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, rapid test kits, vaccines, medical staff and beds in hospitals to treat the existing cases let alone new cases to come.
“Given the crisis, the state should declare a health emergency to prevent the spread of the virus and make necessary arrangements to tackle the situation effectively. Vaccination must be made available across the state,” he said.
Keeping in view the severe health crisis, Vishwesh Reddy, Kodandaram and Chukka Ramaiah among others requested the government not to forcefully conduct elections and increase the spread of the virus.