This story is from January 28, 2020

Kissa kursi ka: Suryapet collector shunted out over KVP vote row

Expressing its unhappiness over the controversy, the Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) has directed the state government to transfer the Suryapet collector.
Kissa kursi ka: Suryapet collector shunted out over KVP vote row
Representative image
HYDERABAD: Suryapet district collector D Amoy Kumar was shunted out late on Monday night after a row erupted over voting rights to an ex officio member, a Rajya Sabha MP, during the election of chairpersons and mayors of urban local bodies on Monday.
Expressing its unhappiness over the controversy, the Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) has directed the state government to transfer the Suryapet collector.
On the directions of the SEC, chief secretary Somesh Kumar issued orders late in the night transferring Amoy Kumar to Rangareddy district. Yadadri-Bhongir district collector Anita Ramachandran has been made in-charge collector of Suryapet.
A controversy broke out on Monday over granting voting rights to Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao (Congress) in the Neredcherla municipality in Suryapet district and MP K Keshava Rao (TRS) in Tukkuguda municipality in Rangareddy district. The ex officio votes are likely to tilt the scales in the two urban local bodies.
During the bifurcation of the united Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the Centre had allotted Ramchandra Rao to Telangana, while K Keshava Rao to AP.
With TRS and Congress bagging equal number of wards in the Neredcherla municipality, votes of ex officio members (MP, MLA/MLC) have become crucial.
BJP may petition SEC over KK’s voting right
The scenario is similar in Tukkuguda, triggering protests by Congress and BJP in these two urban bodies. Congress leadership had directed Ramchandra Rao to give his option to vote as ex officio member in Neredcherla municipality.

As per the Rajya Sabha bulletin (issued on January 2, 2020), KVP Ramchander Rao was named as Telangana MP, while Keshava Rao was under AP, Congress leaders said. The district election authorities first allowed Ramachandra Rao to vote in Neredcherla, but later cancelled his privilege after TRS objected to it.
Tension was palpable in the municipal area on Monday morning following Ramachandra Rao’s name not being included in the ex officio voter list in Neredcherla in the Huzurnagar Assembly constituency, represented earlier by Telangana Congress chief and part of Uttam Kumar Reddy’s Lok Sabha constituency, Nalgonda.
After the controversy, SEC secretary Ashok Kumar issued a notification on Monday evening announcing that the election to chairperson and vice chairperson in Neredcherla municipality would be held on Tuesday.
Earlier, Telangana Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy was taken into custody after he staged a dharna in front of the collector’s residence on Sunday midnight protesting against removing Ramachandra Rao’s name from the ex officio voter list.
Congress moved swiftly and lodged a complaint with the SEC alleging that the local election authorities were behaving in a “partisan manner”. Subsequently, the SEC suspended the order issued earlier by local election officials and gave Ramachandra Rao permission to vote.
In Badagpet, BJP objected to TRS Rajya Sabha MP Keshava Rao’s name in the ex officio voter list. The TRS MP reportedly first gave his option to vote in Badangpet, but later moved to Tukkuguda, where he voted in favour of TRS candidate along with four other ex officio members.
BJP leaders claimed that as per the SEC norms, once the option was given before 5pm on Janaury 25, it cannot be changed, but the pink party managed to shift him to Tukkuguda as they did not require ex officio members’ support in Badangpet.
BJP is planning to lodge a complaint with the SEC and move court, if required.
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