Election Commission denies JD(S) charges

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MAY 7. The State Election Commission has said that the allegations made against it by the Janata Dal (Secular) President, Mr. H. Siddaramaiah, are baseless. In a strongly- worded reaction to the charges levelled against it by the former Deputy Chief Minister, the Election Commission said it had been quite successful in ensuring that the recent elections to the urban local bodies were free and fair, barring a few stray incidents of violence in some places.

Mr. Siddaramaiah had told presspersons on Sunday that the Election Commission had failed to curb electoral malpractice by the Congress even after complaints were made to it by several political parties. Further, the Election Commission had not rejected the modifications made by the Government two days before the poll and some names had been included in the electoral rolls of the Vijayapura Town Municipal Council, he had said.

According to the Election Commission, the JD(U) and the BJP had filed complaints that the State Government had violated the code of conduct by promoting and transferring sub- inspectors of police and also by assuring the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes that the backlog vacancies would be filled.

Based on the directions of the Election Commission, the Government had withdrawn the order on the promotion and transfer of sub-inspectors till the election process was over. Regarding the filling up of backlog vacancies, the Government had informed the Commission that it had not made any new promise and that it was only giving effect to a judgment of the Supreme Court. This reply was accepted by the Commission, it said.

It had also taken serious note, the Commission said, of a complaint by the JD(U) stating that it feared that goonda elements would be used to rig the polls in Raichur District.

Directions were immediately issued to the Deputy Commissioner to take steps to prevent any rigging or violence by anti-social elements. On the inclusion of some names in the electoral rolls of the Vijayapura TMC, the Commission said the electoral rolls of a ward were based on the Assembly voters' lists. The Commission did not have the power to change the electoral rolls of any Assembly constituency, it added.

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Section  : Southern States
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