Rigging of ward committees Undemocratic: Lok Satta

The Lok Satta Party today expressed its surprise and shock over political parties resorting to ‘match fixing’ in the election of members to ward committees in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

“It is nothing but an attempt at thwarting the very purpose of constituting ward committees,” said Lok Satta Party leaders Mr.Katari Srinivasa Rao, Mr.V.Lakshman Balaji and Mr.V.Vijayender Reddy at a media conference here.

According to media reports, the parties have reached a broad understanding to the effect that each corporator will be entitled to have five of his/her nominees and the other five will be those of the local MLA, the MP and other party leaders.

The Government has conceived ward committees as a means of empowering local people in governance. Ideally, the voters in a ward should elect the members of the ward committee. Instead, the Government order has provided for election of ward committees by the 150-member Municipal Council from out of the applicants for the position.

The Congress and the Majlis, which together enjoy a majority in the municipal council can elect their nominees to all ward committees. Alarmed by such a prospect, the TDP and the BJP have reportedly struck a deal with the Congress and the MIM under which every corporator will have a say in the election of his/her ward committee to the extent of five of the ten members.

The ward committees so constituted will not be representative and be merely the handmaidens of corporators, commented the Lok Satta leaders.