Newly-appointed state election commissioner V Kanagaraj on Monday vehemently supported the Andhra Pradesh government led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in removing his predecessor Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar through an ordinance and making changes in the AP Panchayat Raj Act.
Kanagaraj filed an affidavit in the state high court stating that the ordinance promulgated by the Jagan government was perfect and in accordance with the legal procedure and was not intended to target Ramesh Kumar as an individual at all.
He also found fault with Ramesh Kumar for writing a letter to the Union home ministry on March 18 seeking protection to him, alleging that he was facing threat from the ruling party.
He pointed out that the office files, relating to this letter, were not available in the office of the SEC.
He said the government order that followed the ordinance clearly stated that Ramesh Kumar had ceased to hold the office on and from the date of the GO coming into force.
“Any law, either made by the legislature or otherwise, made in respect of such SEC will apply to him alone and not targeted at any individual as such,” he argued.
Kanagaraj also criticised Ramesh Kumar for issuing orders recommending action against the police officials in connection with certain incidents of prevention of filing of mominations, instances of forcible withdrawal, violence and targeting the candidates.
“Such incidents are not peculiar to the present election process. These and other similar complaints have to be examined carefully at every stage and appropriate remedial steps have to be taken depending on the truth or other-wise of such complaints,” he said.
He reminded that the complaints with regard to electoral malpractices constituted only 0.078 per cent of the total number of 54,594 nominations for elections to Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies and 0.092 per cent of 15,185 nominations in municipal elections.
Therefore, such and similar complaints should be examined in detail, instead of taking them on their face value.
He also attacked Ramesh Kumar for issuing the notification for postponement of elections without any consultation process either with the government or with any others.