Forum for Good Governance urges SEC to hold local body elections

The Forum for Good Governance has urged the State Election Commission to conduct long-pending Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana. FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy cited legal clarity from courts and criticised the SEC for seeking government permission, despite having constitutional authority.

Hyderabad: The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has appealed to the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct local body elections, citing deteriorating conditions in panchayats across the State.

FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy said the SEC does not require permission from the State government to conduct elections once they are due. He pointed out that elections to Gram Panchayats have been pending for the past two years, and in the absence of elected bodies, the Central government has stopped releasing funds, severely affecting civic amenities in rural areas.

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In a letter to the State Election Commissioner, Padmanabha Reddy stated that the panchayat elections are unfortunately caught in a legal dispute over the extension of 42 percent reservations to BCs.

He noted that both the Telangana High Court and Supreme Court have clarified that, pending the reservation case, there is no restriction on conducting Gram Panchayat elections based on existing reservations. Despite this, the SEC has reportedly sought the State government’s permission to proceed, he said.

“We have reason to believe that the SEC is not exercising its powers and is functioning like one of the departments under the State government’s control. The SEC should assert its authority and conduct the elections without waiting for government approval,” Padmanabha Reddy said.