GUNTUR: A majority of speakers at the interactive session of the Lok Satta here on Tuesday favoured continuation of the existing system of direct elections to the posts of Mayor and Zilla Parishad chairmen.

Eleven of 15 speakers, who included leaders of political parties and prominent citizens, preferred direct elections.

The session was conducted on the subject: `direct and indirect elections to municipalities in 2005.'

"The Government is planning to conduct indirect elections to local bodies.

It is ironic that the same party which introduced the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution and favoured decentralisation is no trying to take a U-turn on the issue,' said the BJP leader, Jupudi Rangaraju.

"This will encourage corruption and horse-trading,' said the former Mayor, Chukka Yesuratnam, who represented the Telugu Desam Party at the meeting. Those elected directly would perform in a responsible way, he added.

Only ruling party members at the meeting favoured indirect elections. "Direct elections would help the less represented people like intellectuals and the people concerned who keep themselves away from politics," according to the District Congress Committee secretary, Eashwar Rao.

The session was inaugurated by the Lok Satta State secretary, P. Kodandarama Rao.

There would also be a statewide public ballot on this issue in which over two lakh people were likely to express their views. They would be forwarded to the Government, Mr. Rao said. The Lok Satta would conduct such discussions in 100 municipalities all over the State and elicit the opinion of people in major towns by this month-end, Konda Sivarami Reddy of Lok Satta said.

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