The Hindu : Early Assembly polls unlikely in Gujarat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 13, 2002

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Early Assembly polls unlikely in Gujarat

By Manas Dasgupta

GANDHINAGAR JUNE 12. Despite the ruling BJP leaders' talk of an early Assembly election in Gujarat, the State is unlikely to go to the polls at least before October.

The State Government's decision today to postpone by four months the elections to 88 municipalities and some taluk panchayats in view of the coming monsoon season, is considered an indication that the Assembly elections too could not be held before October.

The elections to the municipalities, originally scheduled to be held in October, last year, were postponed thrice for various reasons after the BJP was routed in the Parliamentary and the Assembly by-elections which paved the way for Narendra Modi replacing Keshubhai Patel as the Chief Minister.

Immediately after taking over, though Mr. Modi decided to go ahead with the village panchayat elections, the elections to the municipalities were rescheduled for March 31 which was again postponed by three months due to the communal disturbances in various parts of the State.

Though the term of the present Assembly is due to expire in March next year, Mr. Modi only yesterday asked his party MLAs and the organisational wing leaders to prepare themselves for an "early Assembly election.'' The party's national president, K. Jana Krishnamurthy, after attending a meeting of the State executive a fortnight ago had also advised the party workers to remain prepared for early elections. A similar indication was also given by the Union Home Minister, L. K. Advani. BJP sources, however, point out that if the municipal elections could not be held before October due to monsoon, the same would be valid for the Assembly elections. Mr Modi has also reportedly told some of his close confidants in private that he was not planning to face the electorate at least before October.

It was at the Goa executive meeting of the BJP Mr. Modi was advised by the central leadership to seek a fresh mandate from the people in view of the criticism his Government was facing for the alleged mishandling of the communal riots in the aftermath of the Godhra carnage. At one stage, the ruling BJP was keen on holding the elections by June to take advantage of the "pro-Hindutva'" swing among the voters following the riots but was forced to defer a decision after the central leadership gave an indication that it would be difficult to convince the Election Commission to order elections in the State till the situation returned to complete normality and all the riot victims living in relief camps returned to their homes.

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Early Assembly polls unlikely in Gujarat