Amid ruckus, Kyathanpalli municipal chairperson election postponed again

The election of chairperson and vice-chairperson of Kyathanpalli municipality in Mancherial was postponed once again after Congress councillors allegedly damaged furniture and assaulted women councillors during a special meeting.

Mancherial: Amid a ruckus created by Congress councillors, the much-awaited election of chairperson and vice-chairperson of Kyathanpalli municipality was once again postponed until further orders, even though sufficient quorum was present at a special meeting held to conduct the process on Tuesday.

Fourteen councillor-elects belonging to the BRS and its ally CPI attended the meeting to select a governing council for the 22-member Kyathanpalli civic body. Seven Congress councillors were also present. Labour Minister Dr Vivek and Peddapalli MP G Vamshi Krishna attended the meeting as enrolled as ex-officio members to participate in the election.

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However, Congress councillors allegedly damaged furniture in the meeting hall soon after the oath-taking ceremony was completed. They then resorted to abusing and assaulting women councillors in a suspected attempt to halt the process, resulting in disorder. Minister Vivek and his son Vamshi Krishna left the meeting following the ruckus, prompting officials to postpone the proceedings.

Citing clashes among councillors of the two parties, officials designated to oversee the process declared that the election was postponed. They said they would write to the State Election Commission seeking its intervention in conducting the election. This has prolonged suspense over the election of the chairperson.

BRS councillors staged a protest demanding that officials conduct the election, stating that the quorum was sufficient for the meeting to proceed. They raised slogans demanding justice and declared that they would continue their agitation until the process was completed. They criticised officials for failing to conduct the election and remained in the hall until 2 pm.

Earlier in the day, BRS district president Balka Suman alleged that Minister Vivek was deliberately postponing the meeting to capture the chairperson post of Kyathanpalli municipality, even though the Congress had won only seven wards in the recent municipal elections. He said the minister was mocking democracy by disrespecting the mandate of the people.