AP Medical Council polls back after 20 yrs
Tadepalli: After a gap of nearly two decades, elections to the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) will be conducted on February 9 through an online voting process, with results to be announced on February 10, announced director of secondary health and election returning officer K V N Chakradhar Babu here on Monday.
Addressing a press conference at the Directorate of Secondary Health (DSH) headquarters here, Chakradhar Babu said that the election notification for the selection of 13 members of the State Medical Council, as mandated under Section 3(2)(b) of the Council Act, has been officially issued. He said the elections are being conducted in compliance with the directions of the High Court. The last such elections were held in 2006.
He said a total of 55,504 registered doctors across the state are eligible to vote in the elections. Eligible medical practitioners can exercise their franchise from anywhere through online voting, including via mobile phones, making the process accessible and convenient.
The returning officer said nominations from candidates will be accepted starting Tuesday. Doctors who are members of the council and have been residing in the state (local area) for more than five years are eligible to contest.
Nominations will be received until January 27. Candidates will have the option to withdraw their nominations on January 28 and 29. The final list of eligible candidates contesting the elections will be published on February 2.
Polling will take place online on February 9 between 8 am and 5 pm.
The results will be declared on February 10. Chakradhar Babu reiterated that this would be the first time since 2006 that elections are being conducted for the selection of members to the Medical Council.
He further added that a nomination fee of Rs 500 has been fixed for candidates. The tenure of the elected members will be five years.
Explaining the voting process, Chakradhar Babu said that eligible voters must log in to the APMC Online Election Portal using a special link that will be provided. Once logged in, voters will have a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the voting process. After casting the vote successfully, a confirmation message indicating completion of voting will be displayed online.
AP Medical Council registrar I. Ramesh, who was also present at the press meet, said that necessary arrangements are being made to ensure a smooth, transparent, and secure online election process.
The conduct of elections after 20 years is being seen as a significant step towards strengthening democratic representation within the medical fraternity in Andhra Pradesh.
