Cong. suffers setback in race for ZP post

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 27. Seeking postponement of the ZP chairperson election slated for Saturday, Congress(I) ZPTC members of Rangareddy district staged a dharna in front of the collectorate on Friday and courted arrest. They were later set free by the police.

The dharna added a new twist to the ZP election as the Congress(I) challenged the resignation of its own ZPTC member (Kandukur) and former MLA, Mr. S. Satyanarayana, on the ground that he had not yet taken oath as a member. The race for the ZP chairmanship between the Congress and the TDP has turned out to be a number game with the fortunes fluctuating between the two parties.

The alleged kidnap of Mr. K. Bhaskar (Moinabad ZPTC member) and the resignation of Mr. Satyanarayana, which has since been accepted by the Collector, Mr. Ajay Jain, have caused a major setback to the Congress bid to capture the Zilla Parishad.

The Congress(I) leaders cited the two developments as a proof of their allegation that the ruling TDP was indulging in intimidation and other unfair electoral practices to gain control over the Rangareddy ZP. Mr. Satyanarayana's resignation reduced the Congress(I) tally in the 33-member Zilla Parishad to 14.

In a two-page letter to the State Election Commissioner, Mr. K. Madhava Rao, the APCC spokesman, Mr. K. Kesava Rao, specifically urged the commission to intervene and reject the resignation of Mr. Satyanarayana, ensure participation of `kidnapped' Mr. Bhaskar in the election slated for Saturday and hold an inquiry into the `sordid' resignation episode.

The Congress(I) organised the dharna in front of the Collectorate in the evening demanding that the election scheduled for July 28 be postponed on the ground that the election atmosphere was vitiated by the TDP. Ten ZPTC members and other leaders participated in it.

The Congress leaders were arrested and taken to police station. The Congress leaders blamed the Home Minister, Mr. T. Devender Goud, who hails from Rangareddy district for the `horse-trading.'

Newly elected ZPTC members of Ranga Reddy district, on being arrested outside the Collectorate in Hyderabad on Friday, shouting slogans protesting against the alleged kidnap of a member. - Photo: P. V. Sivakumar.

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Section  : Southern States
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