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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Election Commission cracks the whip in Andhra Pradesh

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Cracking the whip once again, the Election Commission (EC) on Monday ordered action in three different cases of model code violations involving Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, State Rural Development Minister G. Chinna Reddy, a Congress MLA S. Swarna Sudhakar and two officials.

Besides, the EC reopened the old case against IAS officer Praveen Prakash, for his action in shifting returning officer of the Visakhapatnam II Assembly constituency during 2006 byelections.

The EC asked the Adilabad district Collector to submit a report for action, on the announcement purportedly made by the Chief Minister at an election meeting on Sunday in Khanapur Assembly constituency that his government would issue another 15 lakh pensions to the poor.

An inquiry had also been ordered to ascertain if the Chief Minister addressed an election meeting in Nizamabad beyond the stipulated time-limit of 10 pm recently.

After going through video footage, the EC ordered the transfer of the returning officer of Dichpalli Assembly constituency along with the local Deputy Superintendent of Police for allowing more than five persons and more than three vehicles in the case of all candidates at the time of filing nominations. Chief Electoral Officer I. V. Subba Rao told reporters that disciplinary action would also be launched against these officials. These posts would be filled with substitutes selected from panels of three names suggested by the government. Mr. Chinna Reddy and Ms. Swarna Sudhakar were served notices for holding an election meeting in a Government school at Karukonda in Jadcherla constituency in Mahaboobnagar district and at an Anjaneya temple on May 16. In this case, even the Collector and its SP have been asked to explain.

Mr. Rao said a complaint was lodged against Ministers K. Jana Reddy (Home) and Ponnala Lakshmaiah (Major Irrigation) alleging that they had also held an election meeting in a Government school in Warangal district. But the Central observer and the Collector had clarified that it was held on a private land adjacent to the school.

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