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Huge spending by Council candidates in Andhra Pradesh

N. Rahul

No code of conduct to check campaigning for the elections

HYDERABAD: In the absence of a ceiling on expenditure for campaign in the upcoming elections to the Legislative Council in Andhra Pradesh, candidates are vying with one another in spending money to attract voters.

Unlike in the general election, there is no code of conduct to check the high-voltage campaign for Council polls anywhere in the country. They are splurging money on vinyl hoardings, issuing advertisements in newspapers and television channels and publicising their USPs on giant LED screens at important road junctions. Agreeing that the candidates were spending heavily, Chief Electoral Officer V. Bhaskar announced that the provisions of the A.P. Prevention of Disfigurement of Open Places and Prohibition of Obscene and Objectionable Posters and Advertisements Act, 1997, would be invoked against them. The Act prohibits them from putting up wall posters or indulging in wall writing in public places.

He disclosed that written instructions had been issued to all district Collectors on Monday to make candidates remove the posters and other campaign material. The Collectors could also get the material removed themselves and collect the expenses incurred from the candidates.

Election from the graduates, teachers and local authorities' constituencies (LACs) is scheduled for March 17 while polling will be held for candidates from the MLAs' quota on March 22.

In all, election to the 90-member Council would be held for 70 seats — eight each of graduates and teachers and 23 of LACs. The MLAs will elect 31 out of 32 candidates in the fray while the Governor will nominate 12 members.

Election to three seats representing local bodies of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts has been postponed in view of expiry of term. Five candidates — three of Congress and two of TDP — were elected unopposed from local bodies in Krishna, Anantapur and Kadapa districts.

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