Election Commission gives conditional nod for Telangana Cabinet meeting

Hyderabad, May 19: The Election Commission of India has given conditional nod for Telangana Cabinet meeting, making it clear that issues relating to the common capital of Hyderabad and crop loan waiver shall be deferred till completion of Lok Sabha elections.

The Cabinet meeting, scheduled on Saturday, was postponed as permission was not received from the Election Commission.

The poll panel said in its communication to the state government that only those matters which are of an emergent nature and are to be implemented in a time-bound schedule shall be taken up.

The cabinet meeting may only take up matters which are emergent and urgent and can't wait till June 4, 2024, it said.

The Commission also ordered that no state government officer involved in the conduct of elections should be called to attend the meeting. It apparently laid down the conditions as the Model Code of Conduct for general elections to Lok Sabha is in force and also in view of the Graduate MLC elections for the Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam constituency to be held on May 27.

The Cabinet meeting scheduled on Saturday was postponed because the Election Commission did not respond to the permission sought by Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, his cabinet colleagues and officers waited till the evening expecting the response but that did not come forcing the government to postpone the meeting. The agenda was prepared with a focus on farm loan waiver, paddy procurement, action plan for the ensuing Kharif season and other important issues related to farmers.