Munugode bypoll: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has removed the Returning Officer (RO) of Munugode after complaints were received that the free symbol of road roller, which was allotted to the candidate of Yuga Thulasi Party, a registered unrecognised political party was changed to baby walker by the RO without informing the observer.
RDO of Miryalaguda Rohith Singh was appointed as the RO of Munugode after removing the incumbent Jagannadha Rao.
TRS working president KT Rama Rao has objected to the decision of the ECI to transfer the Returning Office and said that this was an indication of how the BJP misuses the Constitutional institutions.
“As per our request in the past, the ECI had removed the road roller symbol from the list of free symbols. But the same was reinstated ahead of the ongoing Munugode by-polls which is against the spirit of the election,” he said.
The ECI on Wednesday had taken a serious view of the lapse by the RO and had sought his explanation by 5 pm today. The ECI also quashed the RO’s order of allotting the baby walker symbol and directed to modify Form 7A allotting the road roller.
While probing the complaints, the EC found that “after completion of the process of allotment of symbols, the RO of 93 Munugode AC changed the free symbol ‘Road Roller’ and allotted a new free symbol ‘Baby Walker’ to Sh K Shiva Kumar … without the knowledge of or consultation with the Observer. The RO has neither given any notice to the candidate nor intimated in advance before passing the above order.”