Hyderabad: The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has asked for action to be taken against the BRS party. The group says the BRS party told its corporators not to vote in the recent Council election for the Hyderabad Local Authorities Constituency (LAC).
FGG president M. Padmanabha Reddy said that stopping corporators from voting goes against election rules. He pointed out that it is a violation under Section 123 of the Representation of the People (RP) Act and Section 169 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) law.
He also noted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is working hard to increase voter turnout. Civil society groups in Telangana also support voting through campaigns like ‘Election Watch’ to encourage all citizens to vote.
The Supreme Court has directed the ECI to include the NOTA (None of the Above) option to help improve voting numbers and allow people to express negative opinions through voting.
Padmanabha Reddy emphasized that the public elects their leaders — including corporators, MLAs, and MPs — through voting. But when it comes to choosing a Member of Legislative Council (MLC), the BRS party is stopping its own corporators from taking part.
According to Reddy, the BRS party even warned corporators of serious consequences if they voted. He said this goes against the law, as everyone has the right to vote under Section 169 of the BNS 2023.
The FGG has asked the Election Commission of India to take proper action against the BRS party for this violation of voting rights.
