Congress outwits TDP in indirect polls

Hyderabad, July 10 (UNI) Outsmarting the Telegu Desam Party(TDP), the Congress won the Chairman's post in 17 Zilla Parishads, including in Anantapur where the TDP had won a clear majority of Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency seats, even as the indirect elections were postponed in Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Warangal where the Congress could not reach a settlement with its ally the TRS today.

On a day of high drama, Congress usurped the ZP Chairman post in faction-prone Anantapur, with two TDP dissident members cross-voting for the Congress. Even as the TDP members protested, the election of Ms Kavitamma as Chairperson and Mr M Narasimhalu as Vice-Chairman was announced amid pandemonium.

In Khammam, where both the Congress-CPI combine and TDP-CPI(M) combine were tied 22 each in the 46-member house, luck smiled on the former as Congress candidate G Vijayalakshmi won the Chairman post and CPI nominee B Ayodhyachary the Vice-Chairman's post by toss.

It was a shot in the arm for Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as the ruling Congress made a clean sweep of the nine ZPs in Coastal Andhra Pradesh and four ZPs each in Rayalaseema and Telangana.

''The Congress has murdered democracy,'' TDP President Chandrababu Naidu said.

The State Election Commission Secretary G N Rao told a press conference here that fresh notification would be issued in Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Warangal where elections could not be held due to lack of quorum.

Asked about the elections in Anantapur, he said according to rules, votes cast by the members were valid and if any member had violated the party whip, action would be taken by the Presiding Officer after seven days of serving of show-cause notice. According to rules No Confidence motion could be brought only on completion of two years.

A report from Kakinada said Malkipuram ZP territorial constituency member in Konaseema area C H Srinivsa Venugopakrishna(Congress) was unanimously elected as East Godavari ZP Chairman.

G Samuel, C H Kesava Chetty were elected as Cooption members unanimously as only two applications were received.

UNI SM/BAK MA DB2024