State government seeks EC nod for Prajapatham

HYDERABAD:  Chief electoral officer Bhanwar Lal said that he received a letter from the state government seeking permission to conduct Prajapatham in 12 districts where byelections have been announced. Speaking to mediapersons at the Secretariat here on Wednesday, the CEO said the request would be forwarded to the Election Commission of India.According to sources, the chief secretary, in his letter to the chief electoral officer, pointed out that if Prajapatham is suspended in the 12 districts, it would cause untold suffering to farmers and people at large. As many as 878 mandals in the state have been declared drought-hit and the government had proposed to hand out Rs 1,800 crore in the form of input subsidies to them. If Prajapatham is suspended, the farmers in the districts where byelections are due would suffer.This apart, the the chief secretary said that the government would not be able to attend to the needs of drinking water supply and provision of fodder to save cattle.