With just four months left for his retirement, Andhra Pradesh state election commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar is desperate to prove his identity by conducting elections to local bodies by hook or crook.
But being more stubborn than him, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is thwarting all the attempts of the SEC, forcing the latter to knock the doors of the high court again and again.
Nimmagadda’s latest announcement on conducting local body polls in February has no takers in the government. Chief secretary Neelam Sawhney clearly told him that the government is not prepared to conduct the elections because of Covid-19 situation.
Not only that, the chief secretary bluntly turned down Nimmagadda’s orders seeking to hold a video conference with all district collectors to discuss the arrangements for elections. The SEC had to cancel his video conference twice due to lack of response from the collectors.
As if rubbing salt on his wounds, the comments made by state civil supplies minister Kodali Nani have also hurt Nimmagadda.
He lodged a formal complaint with the Governor seeking dismissal of Nani from the cabinet. He is also considering filing a criminal case against the minister in the police station.
Now, the only option left for Nimmagadda is to move the court again to assert his position. He is likely to file a petition in the high court again on Friday.
