Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha has indicated that the local body elections in the state may take another two months to be conducted. He said the election process can move forward only after clarity is achieved on key issues such as voter lists, reservations and pending court cases. The SEC will issue the election notification only after the government declares its readiness, the SIR process is completed, reservations are finalized and legal matters are resolved.
Despite the possible delay, Punetha said the Election Commission has already started internal preparations for conducting the local body polls. A meeting scheduled for the day after tomorrow will primarily focus on the preparedness required for the elections. He explained that once the government formally declares that it is ready, the Election Commission will write to the government and begin the process of issuing the election notification.
Punetha also said that the voter list prepared during the tenure of former SEC Neelam Sawhney is already available. If the government declares its readiness before the completion of the SIR process, the Commission will consider using the existing voter list. However, if the government announces its readiness after the SIR process is completed, the Commission will seek legal experts’ advice on which voter list should be used for the elections.
