The attempts of Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar to conduct the local body elections with the support of the state high court, seem to be getting backfired.
Though state chief secretary Neelam Sawhney and state medical and health department authorities have made it clear to Nimmagadda that it is not advisable to conduct the local body elections now because of Coronavirus pandemic which has taken serious proportions, the SEC is hell-bent on conducting the same.
He even held a meeting with all the opposition parties which are expressed their readiness to fight the elections.
He is also planning to issue a fresh notification to conduct the elections, as was evident from the affidavit submitted by him in the state high court on Tuesday.
However, Nimmagadda received an unexpected shock from the state government employees. AP Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association president Chandrasekhar Reddy said there was no question of participating in the election process at this stage because of Coronavirus pandemic.
“Everybody is scared of Coronavirus now, right from people to the government employees. The state has witnessed large number of deaths due to Covid-19. Under these circumstances, we, the employees, cannot risk our lives and participate in the local body election process,” Reddy said.
Asking the SEC as to who would take responsibility if any employee loses his life due to Covid-19 during the election process, the APNGO leader requested that the SEC had a rethinking on conducting the local body elections.
“It will be better, if the elections are conducted after the pandemic subsides,” he said.