Even as YSRCP president and Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has been firm on abolition of state legislative council, the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for holding by-elections to a vacant MLC seat in the state.
The Election Commission announced that the by-election to Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council (or Upper House) under the MLAs’ quota will be held on July 6.
The notification will be issued on June 18. Last Date of making nominations is June 25 and scrutiny will take place the next day.
Nominations can be withdrawn till June 29 and the polling, if necessary, will be held on July 6. Results would be declared on the same day.
A press release by the EC said that the election is being held to fill one “casual vacancy” in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council since a member Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad resigned on March 9. His term was scheduled to end on March 29, 2023.
The notification comes as a sort of embarrassment to Jagan, as he is now compelled to field a candidate for the MLC seat, though he is strongly against continuation of the legislative council.
He has decided to abolish the council for the simple reason that it had stalled the passage of bills pertaining to creation of three capitals and abolition of AP Capital Region Development Authority.
The state assembly had already adopted the resolution on abolition of legislative council. Jagan said that the Council has become meaningless and a hurdle for passing laws.
He pointed out how the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) having a majority in the Council stalled two bills seeking to create three capitals and also that on the introduction of English medium in government schools.
He said the government was incurring Rs 60 crore expenditure annually on the Council. He said the poor state cannot afford it anymore.
The resolution was later sent to the Union home ministry, which will have to introduce a bill in Parliament for the Council’s abolition. The exercise may take a year, officials said.
Andhra Pradesh had its first legislative council from 1958 to 1985 when the then N T Rama Rao government abolished it. Reddy’s father, Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, restored the council in 2007 when he was the chief minister.