'Elections only after finalization of reservation'

Chittoor: Chittoor District Collector Solomon Arokia Raj held a meeting with Mandal Development Officer and Revenue divisional officers over fair and peaceful conducting of local body elections, at the conference hall in Chittoor city on Wednesday. He stressed that every MPDO and election staff should read the hand book on local body elections framed by State government before finalization of reservations. Addressing the meeting, the Collector said the study of election manual is must for every MPDO since they are the nodal officers in conducting the elections to local bodies. They should take much care while finalizing the reservation to BCs, SCs, STs and women and no place to disputes over reservation process and hence working on the guidelines of manual is certainly necessary, he stressed. In fact, the elections to 1366 local bodies to be conducted, but six panchayats are in court's jurisdiction and the term of one panchayat is still alive and hence the elections would be only for 1359 panchayats, the Collector said. The MPDO at assembly constituency headquarters would hold responsibility to entire constituency and he/she would be in regular touch with other MPDOs in that particular constituency and entire communication regarding the local body elections to be shared to all MPDOs of such constituency, the Collector said. The MPDOs should finalise the reservation process at all 1359 panchayats in coordination with election staff and this has to be submitted to government and much care has to be taken while drafting the reservation policy and strictly to follow the guidelines of the election manual, he stressed. Throughout the district about 28,000 staff is working on local body elections and the successful completion of elections is only possible with the teamwork and every staff should cooperate to each other, collector stressed. All MPDOs should attend the video conference by seating at concerned mandal revenue offices and all Tahsildar offices were linked up with proper technical equipment, he said. DWMA Project Director Chandramouli, who is in-charge of District Panchayat Office, explained the guidelines of election manual to all MPDOs.