HC annuls Andhra urban polls; says it violated SC order

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday ordered setting aside the polls held to local bodies like Mandal Parishads and Zilla Parishads on April 7, finding that it was conducted in violation of a Supreme Court ruling. Justice M Satyanarayana Murthy, while hearing petitions filed by representatives of opposition Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party, also directed the state election commission to hold elections again after issuing a fresh notification.

The petitioners challenged the elections held based on an April 1 notification, resuming the poll process from the stage where it was stopped in March last year. In March 2020, the opposition parties had alleged large-scale instances of violence, and unfair and coercive practices to prevent their candidates from filing nominations and to force withdrawal of already filed papers, leading to the unanimous election of many candidates of the ruling YSR Congress. Citing the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, the state election commission had in March last year postponed the polls. The commission, under a new commissioner, resumed the polls this April without issuing a fresh notification. It also did not announce the model code of conduct as directed by the Supreme Court.

As they did not get a favourable response from the state election commission to their objections to the alleged unfair and coercive practices resorted to by the ruling party, the opposition parties moved the high court seeking to stall the election process. They also sought court intervention to protect the rights of opposition candidates to contest free and fair elections.


Finding that the election process was ongoing, the court had in April refused to stall it but ordered the state election commission not to count the votes and declare the results pending final disposal of the petitions. On Friday, the court declared the election notification issued in April this year “as illegal, arbitrary” and violative of the directions issued by the Supreme Court, and set aside it.