HC dismisses PIL pleas over ECI’s order on Dalit Bandhu

Election Commission deferred implementation of scheme

Telangana High Court on Thursday dismissed a batch of PIL petitions seeking to set aside the Election Commission of India’s direction deferring implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme in Huzurabad till completion of the bypoll.

Huzurabad bypoll is being held on Saturday. Huzurabad sitting MLA Eatala Rajender, who won the seat in December 2018, resigned as MLA more than four months ago after he was dropped from the Council of Ministers by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. By-election in Huzurabad became inevitable with Mr. Rajender’s resignation. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister announced Dalit Bandhu scheme (offering ₹10 lakh financial assistance to each dalit family in the State) and formally launched it in Huzurabad Assembly constituency on August 16.

The ECI issued bypoll notification on October 1. While TRS party claimed that Dalit Bandhu was purely for the uplift of dalits, other political parties dubbed it as political gimmick to woo dalit voters. When the bypoll campaign was in full swing, the ECI passed a direction deferring implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme in Huzurabad till completion of the bypoll.