TDP boycotts MPTC, ZPTC polls

Former CM Chandrababu Naidu said that the poll boycott was 'the most difficult decision in my four-decade political career'

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has decided to boycott the Mandal and Zilla parishad polls to be held on April 8.

The schedule of the local body polls, following last year's notification, was issued late Thursday by Nilam Sawhney, who took charge as the new SEC in the morning. Ramesh Kumar, with whom the Jaganmohan Reddy government had a spat over the conduct of elections, had retired from the post on Wednesday.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that the new SEC Sawhney, who till December last year was the Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary, has “become a rubber-stamp in the hands of the Reddy government”.

“We had to take such a drastic decision as we have lost faith in this election process. Not only the TDP, Janasena and other parties are also seeking a fresh notification. We will fight this legally and also make the public aware of such undemocratic processes in the state,” Naidu told reporters on Friday, adding that the poll boycott was “the most difficult decision in my four-decade political career”.

The notification for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) polls was issued in March last year and nominations were also filed. However, the polls could not be held at that time due to the spread of the Covid-19 in the state.

The TDP is demanding that the poll process be initiated afresh, alleging that the ruling YSRCP had resorted to violence and widespread intimidation disallowing other party candidates from filing nominations. The party leaders complained to the SEC that an unusually high number of seats were marked as unanimously elected.

The Janasena had in February moved the AP high court seeking a fresh notification for the ZPTC, MPTC polls.

On Friday, a day after the schedule announcement, Sawhney called for a consultation with political parties. The TDP, Janasena etc parties did not attend the meeting in protest.

The parishad polls are in continuation of the Panchayat and municipal polls, which were held after a year's gap in February and March respectively. The YSRCP swept both the polls and wants the parishad polls to also be completed now.

Naidu questioned the urgency in conducting the polls when the matter was before the courts and the state is in the midst of the Covid-19 second wave.

“TDP has resorted to the poll boycott tactics realizing that the public would not vote for the party,” YSRCP leaders remarked.