A.P. seeks EC nod for capital city ‘bhoomi puja’

MLC election is scheduled to be held on July 3. The government also requested the Commission to allow it to conduct a public meeting on June 8 to mark the completion of its first year in office.

With the Model Code of Conduct coming into force from Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh government has sought permission from the Election Commission to go ahead with its ‘bhoomi puja’ for construction of the capital city on June 6.

The code came into effect after the Commission announced the schedule for MLC election to be held on July 3.

In a representation to the Commission through Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal on Wednesday, the government sought permission to go ahead with the event, as another auspicious day for the ceremony was not available for the next six months.
Public meeting

The government also requested the Commission to allow it to conduct a public meeting on June 8 to mark the completion of its first year in office.

It had planned week-long programmes leading up to the public meeting.

The government’s letter to the Commission stated that no new schemes or programmes would be announced when the code is in force. Meanwhile, government sources said they were expecting a positive response from the Commission for the June 6 event.

Mr. Bhanwarlal said the representation would be forwarded to the Commission, and that a decision was likely on Thursday.