Ward Reservations Irrational: Lok Satta

The Government’s reservation of wards for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections is both unscientific and irrational, charged the Lok Satta Party today.

The Government undertook the exercise with an eye on benefiting the ruling party, party spokesmen Katari Srinivasa Rao and V. Laxman Balaji told the media. They took exception to the Government going ahead with reservations without publishing the number of voters belonging to SC, ST and BC communities and women division-wise.

The Lok Satta spokesmen recalled that 12 municipalities in Ranga Reddy and Medak districts had been merged with the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to form the GHMC. The 50 divisions that came into existence in the erstwhile 12 municipalities account for 26 lakh voters, almost 50 percent of the voters in the GHMC. Because of the large number of voters in these areas, many of the divisions in these areas have been reserved for BCs, SCs and STs. Many seats in the erstwhile Hyderabad Municipal Corporation including the old city have become general.

The Lok Satta leaders faulted the Chief Minister for converting the regular Cabinet meeting into a Congress election strategy meeting. The Chief Minister’s call to Ministers to focus on winning the elections by mobilizing support of caste-based associations was reprehensible.

They questioned the Government’s claim it had spent Rs.5500 crore on developing Hyderabad since roads and the sewerage system continued to be awful. Announcing a Rs.10000-crore plan for revamping the drainage system was nothing but a great election gimmick on the eve of the Greater Hyderabad elections, said the leaders.