Is the state being governed politically or bureaucratically? According to some MLAs, it is increasingly the bureaucrats who are calling the shots. Political governance does not mean blindly following whatever elected leaders say, but it does imply that officials should act in the public interest based on the guidance of elected representatives. Surprisingly, even though the alliance government currently holds unprecedented strength with 164 MLAs—compared to the previous YSRCP government that once secured 151 seats and is now reduced to just 11—several officials in certain districts are allegedly disregarding MLAs entirely. What’s more, these elected representatives reportedly have to wait for hours just to get an appointment with senior officials. These are not merely speculative claims. Some MLAs have formally complained about this issue to Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyannapatrudu, who in turn brought it to the government's attention, urging swift resolution.
The MLAs say they are struggling to convey public grievances to the administration. In many cases, they aren’t even being granted time to meet officials. They also claim that despite submitting petitions concerning public issues to ministers and bureaucrats, no action is being taken—nor are they receiving any responses. Following these developments, the Speaker wrote a letter to the government on March 26, highlighting the issue. Subsequently, on May 9, Chief Secretary Vijayanand issued a memo stating that district collectors and other officials must strictly follow protocol and all official guidelines. The memo also warned of stern action if procedures are violated.
There are well-established norms regarding how officials should engage with MPs, MLAs, and MLCs. However, an IAS officer admitted that problems are arising primarily due to officials failing to follow these rules. It’s even being discussed within administrative circles that some senior IAS officers at the state level are ignoring ministers altogether, for various reasons—raising further questions about the balance of power in the state's governance.