Even after getting a favourable judgement from the Supreme Court, Andhra Pradesh state election commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar is still apprehensive that there might be hurdles for the conduct of elections to the gram panchayats.
Reason: He suspects that he might not get the required cooperation from the state government employees. Especially because there are reports in a section of media that the employees might serve a notice to the government stating that they would go on an indefinite strike for some demands.
So, to be on the safe side, Nimmagadda wrote to Union home secretary requesting him to make available employees of the Central government and other Central public sector undertakings for the election duties.
He also wrote a letter to the state government to direct the district collectors to indent the services of Central Government employees as well as members of Central public sector undertakings to be requisitioned for election related responsibilities as deemed appropriate and necessary.
He also communicated the same matter to the Central cabinet secretary.
“The Commission desires the District Collectors to undertake the election work without disruption by deploying the state Government employees and members of State public sector, all the state Government organisations and members of all State corporations and other entities in the first instance,” he said.
The Central Government employees and members of public sector undertakings shall only be used as a last resort if inadequacies persist with in regard to poll personnel, he added.
