The Hindu : Election Commission decision on Gujarat in `a few days'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 12, 2002

Front Page

Front Page

Election Commission decision on Gujarat in `a few days'

By Neena Vyas

J.M. Lyngdoh

NEW DELHI AUG. 11. The three-member Election Commission, back here after a tour of Gujarat, has indicated that it will reveal its mind in "a few days" — on whether the situation is conducive to holding Assembly polls in the State or not.

The Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, and the Commissioners, T.S. Krishnamurthy and B.B. Tandon, refused to say anything more when contacted by presspersons.

After the Gujarat visit by a nine-member team last week and reports of the full Commission's visit in the last two days, it is unlikely that the Commission will immediately announce a poll schedule. The Commission may also like to pay all its attention to the four-phase Jammu and Kashmir elections, scheduled from September 16 to October 8.

It now seems that the earliest that elections in Gujarat could take place is after the first week of December, when Id-ul-Fitr is celebrated after a month of fasting by Muslims during Ramadan.

After the first week of October, the auspicious `navratras' will be celebrated in Gujarat, leading to Dussehra and then Diwali in early November. The festival of lights will be followed closely by the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

Normally, the Commission announces the schedule three weeks before the date of notification to allow time to political parties to prepare for the start of nominations, and the notification itself is about three weeks ahead of polling. With just about eight weeks left for the start of `navratras', the only "window" for elections is the last week of September to the first few days of October.

Mr. Lyngdoh's remarks in Gujarat make it highly unlikely that the schedule will be announced almost immediately to enable the elections to take place in the last week of September. They are more likely to be held in the second week of December.

The ruling BJP had earlier let it be known that it wanted (and expected) the elections to take place before the `navratras' and in time to enable the newly-elected Assembly to meet by October 10 to prevent a gap of more than six months from its last meeting. The former Law Minister and BJP spokesperson, Arun Jaitely, has said that this was a constitutional requirement, which "must" be fulfilled.

However, several eminent lawyers favoured the Opposition view that the six-month requirement is for the same Assembly; it does not apply in this case where the old Assembly stands dissolved and the new one is yet to be elected.

The argument is that if the BJP had chosen to dissolve the Assembly in late-September, would the Election Commission be forced to hold the polls within days to meet the so-called "not more than six month gap between Assembly sessions" requirement?

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Election Commission decision on Gujarat in `a few days'

Stage set for Vice-President poll

EC should concentrate on polls: Jaitley

CRPF men killed in naxalite ambush

Sharma's wife seeks appointment with Vajpayee

Curbs on media during Kalam's visit

33 killed in cloudburst

8 militants killed

Actress cites threat to life

Inflation rises to 2.85 p.c.