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Karnataka Assembly elections before May-end

NEW DELHI: The Assembly elections in Karnataka will be held by May-end, Election Commission sources said.

The decision to hold the polls in the State, which is now under President’s rule, by the due date was taken at a meeting of the three-member Commission here on Thursday. The decision was 2-1, with Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami and Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi deciding to hold the elections by the due date. Election Commissioner Navin Chawala opposed this and suggested a postponement to August at the earliest.

The meeting, presided over by Mr. Gopalaswami, considered all aspects, including legal and constitutional, before taking the decision, informed sources said.

It was also decided to hold the elections as per the redrawn constituencies after delimitation.

President’s rule was imposed on November 20 last year and the Assembly was dissolved on November 28. The six-month period of President’s rule ends on May 28, the date by which polls to put in place a new Assembly should be held.

The Commission has a constitutional obligation to hold the elections before President’s rule ends and the polls could not be postponed on grounds of possible defects in the new electoral rolls, which are expected to be published around March 25, the sources said.

The Commission took notice of the apprehensions of the Congress and other parties that if rolls revision was hurried through, invoking Rule 24 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 (special provisions for preparation of rolls on re-delimitation of constituencies), there was the possibility of bringing out defective rolls. This would not be conducive for holding free and fair polls, the sources said.

Rule 24 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 enables “cut and paste” from the existing rolls to the new situation, thus ensuring that rolls revision (with January 1, 2008 as the qualifying date) could be completed in time.

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