Election Commission should have powers to disqualify defectors: YSRCP

​Hyderabad: YSR Congress had decided to pressurise the Centre to amend anti-defection lawand wants the Election Commission to be vested with the powers to deal with the defectors rather than the Assembly Speaker. This was decided by the party at its Parliamentary Board meeting to design the party’s strategy for the ensuing monsoon session.

Besides the amendment to anti-defection law, Special Category Status for the State, Central funds for Polavaram, besides the issue of rampant corruption in the State and other issues would be raised by the YSR Congress during the monsoon session, the party sources said.

Speaking to reporters after the Parliamentary Board meeting, chaired by party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy here on Saturday, Nellore MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy said: “The Election Commission should be vested with powers to disqualify defectors rather than the Speaker as the vested interests were exploiting the loopholes in anti-defection law.”

Defectors should seek a fresh mandate and our Rajya Sabha member V Vijay Sai Reddy would be moving a private bill on the issue, Reddy said. He said that the other issue the party would be taking up is the special status which was promised by the Centre and did not come through.

Mekapati said that expediting Polavaram, which is a national project and allotting more funds, would be the other issue the party would be raising during the Parliament session.