The Lok Satta Party will wage a legal battle against the deferment of elections to local bodies, said party leaders Katari Srinivasa Rao and P Bhaskara Rao here on Wednesday, commenting on the government's plans to postpone municipal elections for the 3rd time.
They pointed out that barring a few exceptions, municipalities, zilla parishads and mandal parishads are being run by officials and not the elected representatives.
This is contrary to the letter and spirit of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution, they opined.
Even the Supreme Court, in a 2002 verdict, had faulted the special officers' rule in zilla and mandal parishads, they said
The Lok Satta leaders alleged that the ruling Congress party was giving technical excuses to defer the local body elections since it feares a rout. (INN)