Secretariat opening put off from Feb.17 due to poll code; longest CM tenure of KCR can’t be held in new building

HYDERABAD: Inauguration of the prestigiously-built Dr B R Ambedkar Secretariat building has been postponed.

It will not happen on February 17, 2023 as scheduled in view of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into force.

The Election Code has come into vogue as the Election Commission of India (ECI) notified the election to one MLC post in local bodies constituency and another in Teachers constituency. The election will be held on March 13 and the result would be announced on March 16.

This surprise development will surely no go down well with people of Telangana and, obviously the State Government and also the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ranks.

Telangana Chief Secretary A Shanthi Kumari has approached the ECI seeking exemption for the inaugural of the magnificent edifice of the secretariat that’s come up with an imposing facade, with a grand reflection in the placid waters of Husain Sagar Lake. However, there was no favourable response from the ECI.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will be, meanwhile, breaking the record of the longest-serving Chief Minister in Hyderabad on March 14. Though it was expected that he would occupy the new office by then, the ECI poured cold water on the aspiration.

KCR will break the record hitherto owned by Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, who served as the Chief Minister for 8 years, 8 months, and 13 days (From September 1, 1995, to May 13, 2004) in Hyderabad, which was then the seat of power of the undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, KCR had invited two Chief Ministers — M K Stalin of Tamil Nadu and Hemanth Soren of Jharkhand — and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejaswi Yadav and Lalan, president of Janata Dal United to grace the occasion.

However, the MCC has come in the way of the celebrations, as the inauguration was originally scheduled to sync with the 69th birthday of KCR. The BRS also pallned to mobilise 10 lakh people for a public meeting at Parade Grounds on that evening. It’s not known whether these events would be continued as scheduled