|
EC to announce poll dates in advance
Worried about the large-scale violation of the Model Code of Conduct, the Election Commission is thinking of advancing the announcement of election dates.
Despite the welter of rival political parties's complaints -- including the Bharatiya Janata Party's memorandum against Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral's Rs 75 billion aid package for the North-East -- the Commission's hand are tied. For, technically, the MCC, which prevents political parties from offering sops to the electorate, comes into effect only after the poll notification is issued.
To overcome the difficult situation, sources said, the Commission may break away from the tradition of announcing the poll schedule after issuing the election notification. Under normal circumstances, the schedule is announced a week after the elections are notified.
''It is well within the Commission's powers to announce the poll schedule two or three weeks in advance,'' said Election Commissioner G V G Krishnamurty.
In another development, Chief Election Commissioner Dr M S Gill said an ordinance should be promulgated immediately to enable the Commission to utilise the services of public sector employees, statutory and non-statutory bodies and government-aided educational institutions in the mid-term poll. He said the elections would be held ''in the last week of February''.
In a letter to Gujral, Gill said
''more than'' 4.5 million officials would be needed to
conduct the election for which 900,000 polling booths
would be set up.
The Supreme Court's judgment in February 1995 that
the Commission could not use the services of officials
other than those employed by the government and local bodies ''has
created a serious problem for the Commission''.
If the judgment was adhered to, it would not be possible for the Commission to arrange the requisite staff for conducting the elections. In a large number of districts, the number of employees working for the
government and the local bodies was not adequate, he said.
Since the Lok Sabha remained dissolved, the Representation of the People Act of 1951 could not now be amended by Parliament. Therefore, it would be better if the Act is amended by an ordinance, Dr Gill said.
Meanwhile, the Commission today directed all chief
secretaries of states and Union territories to suspend the
issuance of fresh arms licences to individuals till the completion
of the election process.
Krishnamurty told the media that the Commission was receiving disturbing reports that a large number of people had applied for the licences of revolvers, guns, rifles and sophisticated weapons like the AK-47.
In Lucknow district alone, more than 30,000 applications were
pending. Similar reports were also being received from Punjab,
Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Assam and areas adjoining the
international borders.
The Commission had also received information that sophisticated
weapons were being brought in from the international arms markets
located in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
UNI
EARLIER REPORTS:
Gujral's NE package creates storm
Industrial policy offers many concessions to NE, says Gujral
Tell us what you think of this report
|
