EC frowns upon Jagan's appointment as YSRCP's 'permanent president'

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday asked the YSRCP to publicly contradict media reports about the appointment of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy as its “permanent president”.

The EC issued an order to the party, stating that it “categorically rejects any attempt or even a hint of any organisational post being of permanent nature being inherently anti-democracy.”

The commission reminded the YSRCP that any action by the party denying the periodicity of organisational elections was in complete violation of its extant instructions.

“If not categorically contradicted, it has the potential to create confusion in other political formations of such a move (which is widely reported in the press) being condoned by the EC and in turn can assume contagious proportions," it said.

Jagan has been the president of the YSRCP ever since he floated the party after quitting the Congress in 2011—about two years after his father and the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, died in a helicopter crash.

The EC first wrote to the YSRCP on July 19 and sought comments from it by July 22 on the alleged appointment of Jagan as permanent president. It sent the third reminder on August 18.

The YSRCP finally replied on August 23, confirming that Jagan had indeed been appointed as the president of the party on July 8 and 9. It, however, had not categorically admitted or denied the specific allegation about him being made permanent president for life, the commission noted.