Revanth Government Hesitating to Conduct Local Body Elections, Alleges BJP in Ayija
Gadwal: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Ayija town have strongly criticized the Telangana state government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, for its continued delay in conducting local body elections.
Addressing a press conference organized at the BJP office in Ayija, the town BJP president Kampati Bhagat Reddy accused the state government of intentionally avoiding the elections due to a lack of courage to face the people. He reminded the media that the schedule for these elections was expected to be announced in mid-February this year, yet there has been no progress since.
> 'Despite knowing that the delay in conducting local body elections may lead to the stoppage of central government funds, the Revanth government continues to procrastinate,' Bhagat Reddy stated.
He emphasized that Panchayati Raj institutions, the third tier of India's democratic governance structure, are being neglected by the state administration. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments were introduced to empower rural and urban local bodies respectively, promoting decentralization, self-governance, and accountability. However, the state government, he claimed, is ignoring this spirit by bypassing elected local bodies and instead routing development activities through various non-representative institutions.
> 'Such parallel institutions do not reflect the aspirations and needs of the local population,' he argued, adding that strengthening Panchayats would reduce the financial burden on the state treasury and lead to more sustainable development.
Bhagat Reddy accused the government of weakening the financial and administrative autonomy of Panchayats for the sake of maintaining political and economic control, thereby undermining transparency and local governance.
He further alleged that the Revanth Reddy-led administration is avoiding elections not only because of public dissatisfaction but also due to internal issues within the ruling party. These include:
Failure to implement six key promises made during the elections,
A governance paralysis due to the state's reluctance to release funds even for minor works,
Lack of coordination among ministers,
Public dissatisfaction voiced openly by several MLAs,
And the absence of constituency development funds, making it difficult for MLAs to face their constituents.
'Even after more than one and a half years since the expiration of the term of the local body representatives, the government has not provided any clarity on when the elections will be held,' he added.
The press meet witnessed participation from other BJP leaders including SC Morcha State Executive Committee member Madanna, Town Vice Presidents Bellamkonda Nagaraju and Veeresh Goud, as well as Lakshmanachari, G. Raghu, Madhavachari, and Raju.
They collectively demanded that the state government honor the Constitution, empower local self-governments, and immediately announce the election schedule for Panchayat and municipal bodies.
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