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Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Election to be held on July 6
The present YSR Congress government passed a resolution in the legislative assembly in January this year to abolish the Upper House.
The Election Commission (EC) on Monday announced that the by-election to Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council (or Upper House) will be held on July 6.
“Bye Election to #AndhraPradesh Legislative Council by the members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Polling on 6th July 2020. Last Date of making nominations: 25th June, 2020,” a tweet from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said.
A press release by the EC said that the election is being held to fill one “casual vacancy” in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council since a member Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad resigned on Marh 9. His term was scheduled to end on March 29, 2023.
The council works like Rajya Sabha. Once in two years, one-third of its members retire and new members are elected by local bodies representatives, assembly members, graduates, and teachers. Some members are also nominated.
The council was revived in 2007 after a gap of nearly 20 years.
But the present YSR Congress government passed a resolution in the legislative assembly in January this year to again abolish the Upper House.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the Council has become meaningless and a hurdle for passing laws. He pointed out how the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) having a majority in the Council stalled two bills seeking to create three capitals and also that on the introduction of English medium in government schools.
Reddy said the government was incurring Rs 60 crore expenditure annually on the Council. He said the poor state cannot afford it anymore.
The resolution was later sent to the Union home ministry, which will have to introduce a bill in Parliament for the Council’s abolition. The exercise may take a year, officials said.
Andhra Pradesh had its first legislative council from 1958 to 1985 when the then N T Rama Rao government abolished it. Reddy’s father, Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, restored the council in 2007 when he was the chief minister.
