Press Releases Archive

The Lok Satta Party today filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the provisions in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act under which ex officio members could take part in the election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor and decide on policy matters by conferring voting rights on them.

The Lok Satta Party, represented by Mr. Katari Srinivasa Rao, said Sections 5 (1-A) and 90 of the GHMC Act are arbitrary, undemocratic and unconstitutional. They are contrary to 74th amendment to the Constitution which envisages local bodies as institutions of self-government.

As per the Act, all the 24 MLAs, Lok Sabha members and MLCs and Rajya Sabha members who have voting rights in the city – more than 60 in all -- are ex-officio members of the corporation whereas the total number of elected members is only 150.

Party leaders Katari Srinivasa Rao, G. Rajireddy and V. Vijayender Reddy told the media that enabling ex-officio members to have a say in the election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor is as incongruous as enabling MPs to have a say in the election of Chief Minister.

The GHMC Act provisions violate the letter and spirit of the Constitution in that ex-officio members who are not elected to the corporation can influence election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor by exercising their vote.

The Lok Satta Party today pointed out that the proposed electoral alliance between the Congress and the PRP aimed simply at grabbing power in the GHMC without a common agenda or manifesto was opportunistic and not meant to serve public interest.

Talking to the media, party Vice-President Y. D. Ramarao and spokesman V. Laxman Balaji said if the two parties were keen on contesting together because of similarity of views, the parties might as well have merged and contested as one party.

In contrast, the Lok Satta Party had announced its election manifesto two months ago promising devolution of powers, resources and personnel on locally elected division committees.

The party’s Election Authority Chairman V. Ramachandraiah released the fifth list of party’s contestants in the GHMC elections. The divisions and the candidates are:

Attapur – K. Vijayakumari
Chintalbasti – Shahana Begum
Sultan Bazar – Akula Shyamraj Yadav
Musheerabad – M. Sunita Narender Reddy
Domalguda – K. Purnima
Khairatabad – W. Ramadevi
Banjara Hills – S. Rama Subhadra
Shapurnagar – B. Durgarao
Ramanthpur – Sampath Kumar
Uppuguda – M. Narayandas
Aliabad – K. Narsingrao
Asifnagar – P. Lalitha Sivajyothi

With this, the party has named contestants for 96 divisions.

The party announced that Katyayani will contest from Moula Ali and K. Bharat Kumar from Golnaka following changes.