AP dragging feet on local body polls: YSR Cong

Vijayawada: Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress on Saturday criticised the Andhra Pradesh government not for being serious about holding local body elections.

Though elections to local bodies are constitutionally- mandated, the Kiran Reddy government is dragging its feet over the issue since the last two years, YSR Congress honorary president Y S Vijayamma said. In absence of elections, the local bodies have been deprived of several crores of rupees which they otherwise would have got as funds from the Centre, she said. Vijayamma was addressing a large gathering of YSR Congress workers in Vijayawada. In May, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had said elections to Panchayat Raj bodies, municipalities and corporations in AP will be held in the next three months. The local body polls had been delayed due to legal issues over quantum of reservation for weaker sections. The terms of urban local bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions ended in 2010 and 2011 respectively. The Congress government is trying to escape from its responsibility by raising issues like reservation and non- availability of 2011 census figures, said Vijayamma. The local bodies have been denied Rs 4,000 crore in the last two years and also Rs 2,400 in the current financial year from Central funds for failing to meet constitutional obligations, said Vijayamma, who is also a legislator. She said there was no governance, accountability and transparency in the functioning of local bodies, which are being managed by special officers in the absence of polls. The prevailing situation is adversely affecting rural areas, where villagers are facing untold hardships, she said. The Congress government has failed on all fronts in the State, where common people are bearing the brunt of rising prices, Vijayamma maintained. She asked YSR Congress cadres to be ready for the local body polls, whose outcome will have a bearing on the general elections. The YSR Congress leader said the general elections may by held before December. PTI