E-Paper
EC team reviews poll preparedness in Telangana, to decide schedule shortly
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had last week avoided simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assembly by recommending dissolution of the state assembly nearly nine months before its term ends.
The Election Commission will take a call on finalising the schedule of assembly elections in Telangana at the earliest after taking into consideration the preparedness of the state government machinery, deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha said on Wednesday.
Sinha, who led a six-member team of the poll panel to Hyderabad on Tuesday, held a series of discussions with political parties and state government officials to study the preparedness of Telangana in conducting assembly elections along with four other states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram – in November and December.
Wrapping up his two-day tour, Sinha told reporters that he would submit a report to the EC soon after returning to Delhi. “The Commission will take a decision soon on the schedule of elections to Telangana assembly after going through our report,” he said.
He said majority of the political parties wanted adequate time for the summary revision of electoral rolls so that there would be no discrepancies. “Instructions have been given to all the district level officials to expedite the revision of electoral rolls and launch a campaign through mobile phones for voters’ enrollment,” Sinha said.
The EC team, which included deputy election commissioners Sandeep Saxena,and Sudeep Jain, directors general Dilip Sharma and Dhirendra Ohja and principal secretary Sumit Mukherjee held a meeting with the state director general of police and also all the superintendents of police and collectors of various districts on the law and order situation and arrangements for elections.
