AP SEC sets ball rolling for PR polls

Amaravati: State Election Commissioner N Ramesh Kumar said that Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan has assured to coordinate between the SEC and the State Government for smooth conduct of panchayat elections.

Ramesh Kumar said that he met the Governor on Wednesday morning. The Governor asked him over issues regarding elections. He said that he informed the Governor that there were no issues and the officials are extending cooperation after the Supreme Court verdict.

The SEC said that he has good relations with the Chief Secretary and Director General of police and ready to work with coordination for conducting elections in a peaceful manner. He said the employees associations also expressed readiness to cooperate for the elections. He said that he participated in the video conference conducted with district collectors along with Chief secretary, DGP and Panchayat Raj officials.

The SEC said that he had asked the Commissioner for Panchayat Raj Girija Sankar to conduct the conference as state election officer. The meeting was held satisfactorily.

He expressed concern over comments by some leaders on action on two panchayat raj officials who violated code of conduct and Supreme Court orders. He said that he censured two officials as 3.6 lakh young voters lost their voting right as the officials failed to prepare 2021 electoral rolls.

The SEC said that he never recommended any disciplinary action on the PR officials. He said he honoured Panchayat Raj Commissioner Girija Sankar by asking him to conduct the video conference this morning as state election officer.

Ramesh said that as he is going to retire soon, he cancelled his voting right in Hyderabad, and applied for voting right in his native village Duggirala in Guntur district. The tahsildar rejected stating that he was not staying in the village.

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