Crucial meet of Election Commission held in Bangalore

Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami presided over a crucial meeting of the Election Commission at the State Secretariat Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore yesterday to review the preparations for next assembly elections in Karnataka, which is under Federal rule.

Gopalaswami and two election commissioners S Y Quraishi and Navin Chawla met senior officials of Karnataka Government including the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts in the State for a feedback on the revision of electoral rolls on the basis of redrawn boundaries of assembly constituencies under the recently completed delimitation exercise.

The meeting is considered to be crucial, as it would clear the confusion over the timing of the assembly polls in the State, which has been under federal rule since November 2007.

Apparently determined to hold assembly polls before May 28, Gopalaswami is believed to have told the officials to complete the revision of electoral lists and other election related work entrusted to them before March 15.

The Election Commission, which is likely to take a final decision on the timing of the assembly polls in Karnataka, is expected to make an announcement on the issue after holding talks with representatives of leading political parties as well later in the day.

Meanwhile, the political parties are divided over the timing of elections. While the BJP and JD (S) are in favour of holding elections before the six month deadline for withdrawal of Federal rule in the state lapses on May 28, the Congress is citing the “incomplete” electoral list as a reason to put off polls.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters before meeting the Election Commission officials that the Congress party was not convinced by the “cut and paste” method to complete the revision of electoral rolls after altering the boundaries of assembly constituencies.

“Revision of electoral rolls following fresh delimitation of constituencies is a long-drawn exercise. We want a door-to-door enumeration carried out and not a random deletion of some voters and the inclusion of some others”, he said and referred to the presence of 6 million bogus voters in the electoral list, as claimed by the Election Commission officials themselves during their previous visit.

However, Kharge sought to make it clear that the Congress part was not seeking a postponement of polls, but was only emphasizing on deletion of bogus voters from the list and inclusion of genuine voters.

The BJP, however, is seeking early polls before the May 28 deadline for Federal rule lapses.

Former Chief Minister B S Yedyurappa has threatened to move the Supreme Court if the Congress party conspires to put off the polls and seek an extension of the Federal rule by securing Parliamentary approval.

He said the anomalies in the voters’ list can be corrected even till the last date for withdrawal of nominations and the Election Commission should go ahead with the polls before May 28.

The JD (S) is also favouring early polls that would facilitate the withdrawal of Federal rule and install a popular Government in the State. “We want polls to be held before May 28 so that the Federal rule comes to an end and a popular Government takes over the reins of power”, JD (S) spokesperson Y S V Datta told reporters.