With Telangana acting Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao virtually announcing the election dates for the State Assembly, the Opposition parties were up in arms and the Election Commission of India has also expressed its displeasure.
Soon after the Telangana Legislative Assembly was dissolved on Thursday afternoon to pave way for early polls, KCR expressed confidence that the election in Telangana would be held in October along with four other States and results will come out in December first week.
While the main Opposition Congress alleged that there was a nexus between TRS and the CEC, Communist Party of India delegation led by national general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy met the Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat and lodged protest against KCR’s statement.
KCR had also said that all the aspects were discussed with the ECI officers before decision to dissolve the Assembly was taken.
CEC Rawat has also expressed his displeasure and termed KCR’s statement as “preposterous and uncalled for”.
The questions has come up because the Telangana assembly was dissolved even though 8 months of its present term were remaining. Timing of the polls has become crucial because an early election was being seen as advantageous to the State's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
The speed with which the State Governor ESL Narasimhan accepted the recommendation of the cabinet and the way all the legal and administrative formalities were completed to issue a notification of the dissolution by the Legislature Secretariat has also raised many an eyebrows.
State Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar was summoned by the Election Commission to Delhi to discuss the preparations for election including the status of ongoing revision of electoral rolls. Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that there seems to be a match fixing between the TRS and the Election Commission. Referring to the claims of KCR that he was talking to the Election Commission, Reddy questioned its propriety before the dissolution of assembly. "What they were talking", he asked.
Pointing out that as per the schedule the electoral rolls revision should continue till January Reddy asked how election can be possible before that.
CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy after meeting CEC in New Delhi today said that only Election Commission can announce the schedule of the election. "How Chandrashekhar Rao can say when the elections would be held. We have conveyed our strong objection over it". Telangana Jana Samiti president Kodandaram demanded that the state should be put under president's rule as there were fears that election under KCR as carre taker Chief Minister will not be fair.
State BJP leaders including floor leader G Kishan Reddy met the governor Narasimhan and urged him to keep an eye on KCR and ensure that he doesn't misuse his power.