Lok Satta flays postponement of municipal elections

Postponement of municipal elections for the third time in a row runs counter to the spirit of democracy and the Constitution, charged the Lok Satta Party today.

In a media statement, Lok Satta Party Working President D. V. V. S. Varma said the Government trotted out lame excuses like formation of new municipalities and enumeration of B. C. voters to conceal the ruling party’s inability to face the electorate.

Mr. Varma said that the Government could have held elections to all municipalities barring the new ones, based on the old BC voters’ lists.

He pointed out that more than 90 percent of municipalities as also other local bodies like panchayats are under special officers’ rule. By deferring elections repeatedly, the ruling Congress is emulating the Telugu Desam Party in depriving people of elected local governments.

So long as power is concentrated at the State capital and people denied elected local governments, announcement of new schemes will not serve the purpose.