Local Body Polls On Party Symbols?

After getting the Supreme Court's nod, the state government is gearing up to conduct the local body elections at the earliest. However, this time, the elections might be conducted along party lines.

Talking to reporters here, Labour Minister Danam Nagender said that the proposal to conduct the local body elections was being studied, and that a decision will be taken soon after consulting experts.

Nagender believes that the Congress party will have a major advantage if the elections were to be held on party lines. He said that the results of cooperative elections were a clear indication that people were inclined towards the ruling party, and that it would repeat the results in local bodies polls.

Meanwhile, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu too demanded that the local body elections be held on party symbols. He also suggested that reservations of seats be alotted in proportion to the population. He also demanded a 50% reservation for women from Panchayat Wards to Mayor level. (INN)