Prakasam district officials have said to be examining the possibility of slapping poll code violation case against Municipal Administration Minister Dr P Narayana. Having visited the district headquarters to attend a party’s poll preparation meeting, at a time when the code of MLC elections from graduates and teachers constituencies is in force, his visit to the Municipal Corporation office has raised many eye brows among official circles.
According to reports, he had visited Ongole yesterday, along with two other ministers Sidda Raghava Rao and Ravela Kishore Babu, to attend TDP workers meeting, to formulate strategy for MLC elections. He was present with them in the meeting till 2 pm.
Later at 4 pm suddenly he went to Municipal Corporation office and held a meeting with state level housing officials in the Commissioner’s chamber, for about Half an hour. The Commission Venkata Krishna, who is aware of poll code, was said to be scared with this meeting and he simply came out of his chamber, stating that he should not be there during poll code period. He simply waited outside. The media was also not allowed inside.
Before going out, the minister has summoned commissioner and municipal engineer Srinivasa Rao inside the chamber and had reportedly enquired them about drinking water situation in the city. When the commissioner tried to alert him that media was waiting outside, the minister simply said “I am not conducting a review meeting with you” and left out.
When the media questioned him, he said that poll code doesn’t bar them from discussing emergency public issues with officials. “That’s why I came here alone without MLAs”, he added. He had reportedly left the municipal office only after receiving phone calls from ruling party MLAs cautioning him that he would be landed in some problem.
However, his visit has raised many eyebrow among political and officials circles, fearing that would be amounted to violation of poll code. The opposition party leaders are also seems to be preparing to complain the same to the Election Commission.
