Andhra Pradesh High Court to hear plea on civic polls

Hyderabad: A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar of AP High Court will hear a PIL on Wednesday seeking a direction to the AP State Election Commission not to count and not to declare the results of elections to municipalities, municipal corporations on April 2 or any other day prior to conclusion of general elections, 2014.

Bhukya Saida and three advocates moved a Public Interest Litigation contending that declaration of election results of municipal bodies prior to conducting of elections to Mandal Praja Parishad and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies as well as the Assembly and Parliament was certain to affect the unbiased exercise of franchise by the voters, either one way or the other.

They said that announcing of results of municipal polls prior to the general elections will get the voters into a tizzy and hinder their ability to vote in an independent manner without harbouring any prejudices.

Meanwhile, Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao on Tuesday granted a week’s time to the Election Commission of India and the AP State Election Commission to respond on a petition seeking stay of election process to Urban Local Bodies and Mandal and Zilla Parishads in the state or at least postpone the announcement of results till completion of general elections.

The judge was dealing with a plea by one V. Pavan Kumar. Contending that if the results of the elections to municipalities and municipal corporations and MPTCs and ZPTCs are announced just before the Parliament and Assembly elections the voters will be unduly influenced.

They said that the Election Commission of India has issued guidelines relating to publication of results of opinion or exit polls so that it did not influence the minds of the electors.The petitioners have made a mention before the bench to take up the matter in view of the urgency and Chief Justice said that they will hear the case on Wednesday.