Guru Teja filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking an online nomination system for local polls. He said the current process caused 187 clashes during recent elections. The petitioner urged the court to direct the State Election Commission to use this system to ensure a transparent process.
Hyderabad: The controversy surrounding local body elections in Andhra Pradesh has reached the High Court again, with a fresh petition seeking the introduction of an online nomination system to prevent disputes and violence during the election process.
Petitioner Guru Teja approached the High Court, alleging that the State Election Commission (SEC) had failed to implement an online facility for filing nominations in municipal and corporation elections. He urged the court to direct the SEC to introduce the system to ensure a smoother and more transparent electoral process.
The petitioner contended that the Supreme Court had issued directions for making candidates’ nomination papers and affidavits available online during local body elections. However, he alleged that the SEC had not implemented the directions in the municipal and corporation elections.
Highlighting the consequences of the existing system, Guru Teja claimed that as many as 187 clashes had taken place during the current election process because the online nomination facility had not been introduced.
He also submitted photographs of incidents of clashes and violence during the municipal and corporation elections to the High Court in support of his petition.
The petitioner urged the court to ensure that the online nomination system was introduced at least for the forthcoming gram panchayat elections. He argued that making the nomination process accessible online could help prevent disputes and reduce the scope for confrontations during the filing of nominations.