Why political parties must be kept out of local body polls

Recent elections to urban local bodies (ULBs) in Andhra Pradesh were marred by violence and allegations that the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the official machinery intimidated Opposition candidates and manipulated the poll process.

In a rare intervention, the Supreme Court had directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to postpone the publication of the final list of candidates till October 25, in view of the allegation made by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) that its candidates faced violence and they were blocked from filing nominations. Consequently, the SEC rescheduled the polls from October 28 to November 1. It was another matter that the TDP-led alliance won hands down.