Andhra Pradesh: Former State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Rameshkumar waiting for right to vote for three years

Nimmagadda Rameshkumar, a retired Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer had to wait for three years after applying for the right to vote. He has still not been given his right. The officer while he was the Andhra Pradesh Chief Election

Amaravathi (Andhra Pradesh): Nimmagadda Rameshkumar, a retired Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer has been waiting for three years after applying for the right to vote. Still, he has not been given his right. Rameshkumar was an IAS officer for 35 years and also served as the State Election Commissioner (SEC). The YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh was taking action to remove lakhs of votes of Opposition sympathizers that they did not like.

Same in the case of Nimmagadda. The situation is that one has to wait for three years after applying for the right to vote. Even though the Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered, Nimmagadda's application is still under consideration. This reflects the behavior of the YSRCP government's attitude

Nimmagadda Rameshkumar has been fighting for almost three years to join his hometown Duggirala in the Guntur district as a voter. Having served as an AP cadre IAS officer for decades, he surrendered his vote in Hyderabad, attached the certificate, and applied to the local tehsildar for the right to vote in his hometown in late 2020.

He has a house, farm, and property in Duggirala. Ramesh Kumar's mother lives there. He often used to go to the village wherever he had any work. Any Indian citizen above the age of 18 can seek the right to vote anywhere in the country. As part of that, he applied for a vote in his native village, but the Tehsildar rejected the application saying that he was not a local.

Ramesh Kumar then appealed to the District Collector, the Central Election Commission, and the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh but to no avail. In the end, he approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court and it suggested that he should make a fresh application for the registration of his name as a voter. Recently he applied to the BLO and submitted proof of his local residence. The tehsildar (local government official) issued a notice under form-12 and summoned him for inquiry.

When Nimmagadda Rameshkumar worked at the State Election Commissioner, differences arose with the government in the conduct of local body elections. Nimmagadda applied for the right to vote with all the evidence that Duggirala is his native village and he is staying locally, but the authorities refused. Even though the application was made fresh with the orders of the High Court, it is still under consideration.

The Election Commission is denying him the right to vote because he is not a resident of his native village. Questions have then emerged that on what basis is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy continuing to have the right to vote in Pulivendula? Before 2019, Jagan was living in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. After taking charge as the Chief Minister in 2019, he is living in Tadepalli of the Guntur district. If the basis of the Election Commission is that one should be a local resident, then how did Jagan get a vote in Pulivendula? experts asked. They questioned that shouldn't his vote be in Tadepalli. Those in the Opposition alleged that if there are differences with the government, there is one rule and for their sympathizers, the government can change the rules according to their needs.