No Cabinet till rural polls: Election Commission

The expansion of the Telangana state Cabinet may be further delayed. The State Election Commission (SEC) says that till Panchayat elections are completed, the state Cabinet cannot be expanded as it is a policy decision and will come under the model code of conduct.

The state government is surprised at this reasoning. Government officials argue that when they scrutinised the model code, cabinet expansion was not mentioned.

The first phase of panchayat raj elections will be held on January 21 and the last phase on January



30.

According to the SEC, the state government also cannot convene the state Assembly before the panchayat elections unless it takes the permission of the SEC. The state government also should not transfer IAS, IPS officers or state government employees till the elections are over.

If zilla parishad or mandal parishad and urban local bodies meetings are held when the model code is in force, general issues can be discussed but no policy decisions can be made and political leaders can only carry Rs.50,000 per day with them.