1. Will TRS Contest Andhra Elections in 2019? KCR and Naidu Trade Barbs
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday, 12 December, responded to the statement by his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao that he would ‘return Naidu’s gift’.
"Anything is possible," KCR had said when asked at a news conference if the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) would contest the polls in Andhra Pradesh or support any party against Naidu's TDP.
KCR claimed that his party received one lakh messages from Andhra Pradesh, requesting it to also focus on the politics in Andhra and not confine themselves to Telangana.
(Source: The News Minute)
2. Hyderabad High Court Relief for Gothikoyas Tribals at Khammam
The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday, 12 December, restrained the forest officials of Khammam district from destroying any of the huts and dwelling units, as well as other structures, erected by the Gothikoyas tribals in the reserve forest areas of Khammam.
The court also directed that the administration should not deprive the Gothikoyas of basic facilities which they are enjoying now.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
3. Disabled-Friendly Polls Merely an Eyewash
M Shiva Kumar, a muscular dystrophy-affected person, waited for more than three hours at his polling station before returning without even casting his vote on 7 December.
Registered as a voter in Malakpet constituency, he applied for transportation to the polling station through VAADA app provided by GHMC authorities.
“Nobody called to pick me up, or transport me to the polling station. I went on my own, carrying my wheelchair along. There was neither a wheelchair nor a ramp for the disabled at the polling station. Besides, the volunteer to help disabled persons just loitered outside, without assisting even the elderly,” Kumar said.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. TISS Students Boycott Classes Protesting Scrapping of Course
Protesting over the closure of the hostel facility on the campus and the scrapping of the BA Social Science programme from the forthcoming academic year, students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad boycotted classes on Monday, 10 December.
While the students are said to be shocked at being kept in the dark about the removal of the residential tag from TISS Hyderabad, they are also angered by the way the administration has handled the matter by issuing a notification during the semester break, denying the students the opportunity to respond or react.
(Source: The News Minute)
5. Where Was My Postal Ballot? Volunteers Ask
Ahead of the elections, the GHMC and Election Commission had courted the youth of the state to volunteer for live web-casting and to assist Persons with Disabilities (PwD) on 7 December, voting day. In the notices put up by these organisations, they had promised the volunteers that, despite being busy on voting day, they would still be able to exercise their franchise by availing the postal ballot service.
However, many of these volunteers claim that this promise was not kept. “I got interested when GHMC officials told us we would have postal ballots like any government employee on election duty. I would have otherwise had to travel from Hyderabad to Manthani. However, when, on voting day, I asked the concerned officer at my polling station, I never got a proper response. If my friends and I had known this, we would not have volunteered. All five friends did not get to vote,” says Akudari Devaraj.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
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