CPI: Ex-officio shouldn't vote to elect Mayor

Hyderabad: CPI national secretary Dr K. Narayana has written to the Election Commission pleading that ex-officio members of the GHMC should not be allowed in the vote to elect the Mayor. Dr Narayana wanted the voting restricted to elected corporators. According to the rules and the GHMC Act, legislators and MPs, who are ex-officio members of the GHMC, can vote in the election of the Mayor.

The local body polls come under the perview of the State Election Commission, and Central Election Commission has no role in the matter. Yet, the CPI chose to write to the Chief Election Commissioner. Referring to the statement of TS Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao that the TRS had more than 30 ex-officio members and the party candidate would get elected as Mayor with their support, Dr Narayana wrote: “If ex-officio members can elect the Mayor there is no meaning for democracy and no sanctity of corporators who have been elected by citizens.”