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Lok Sabha polls in September-October

The Lok Sabha elections would be held in September-October this year. The new House would be constituted before October 21, as required under the Constitution.

Announcing this in New Delhi today, Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill said the possible timing was unanimously decided after hearing the views of all political parties and considering all relevant factors.

Gill said the code of conduct for political parties will come into effect the moment the dates are announced, and not after the notification for the elections is issued.

He told reporters that assembly elections are due in nine states and the question of linking some of them with the Lok Sabha voting schedule has to be examined by the commission.

Goa is under President's rule and the government had informed the commission that it had no intention to extend it beyond August 9. Therefore, the commission would announce a poll programme for Goa soon.

Dr Gill said the commission felt it necessary to give clear indication about when the elections will be held to set at rest the controversy between the contending parties and to enable them to do the required planning.

The commission will, in due time, at an appropriate date, after full preparation make the formal announcement of the election schedule.

One of the major factors which the commission took into consideration was the weather condition in the country between May and September, for vast operation of the central forces.

An unprecedented heat wave, with temperatures ranging between 45 and 48 degrees Celsius in various parts of the country, the pattern of monsoon and possible floods were the climatic problems which could have been faced during the period.

Almost all elections since 1952 have been held between November and April or at best in May.

To fulfil its constitutional duty, the commission had to make a difficult choice and look for the least possible inconvenient option, he said.

Dr Gill said conduct of parliamentary elections in India was the largest operation of its kind in the world. ''Six hundred million voters, 8000 polling stations, four million polling staff and lakhs of central para-military forces would be required to conduct the elections,'' he said.

It was a complex deployment and mobilisation of manpower and resources which include finance, paper and election materials.

Experience has proved that central police planning required at least four weeks of repeated and intensive discussions in working groups, composing of the deputy election commissioners and the heads of central police forces of the country.

The commission would also have to organise a meeting of the chief secretaries and chief electoral officers of the states and Union territories to seek their views for making comprehensive arrangements for smooth, peaceful, fair and transparent elections.

The commission, Dr Gill said, would require at least a month to finalise the schedule.

For the first time since independence, events have confronted the commission with the duty of conducting national elections in the most difficult period of the year. This was accepted by all the parties who attended the all-party meeting yesterday.

The problem is compounded by the coming elections to the nine state assemblies.

Gill said, ''The need for studies, discussions and planning and arrangements make it evident that the commission cannot instantly and blindly announce the poll schedule.''

The present crisis of holding elections within 13 months was not of the commission's making, he said, adding that its sole constitutional duty now was to ensure that the polls were held in good time to enable the Lok Sabha to meet before October 21.

''Above all, elections were to be conducted in an efficient, peaceful and transparent manner to the satisfaction of the people,'' he said.

''The issue was not just one of choosing a weather period or wanting a duly elected government at an early date. The commission lags behind no one, in seeking always, to have a duly elected representative government in the country,'' Gill said.

However, the commission could not ignore its prime duty of doing an efficient job and to maintain the good name of Indian democracy, he added.

After deep deliberations, the Election Commission has come to the unanimous view that in the given circumstances, the best possible timing for holding the elections was September and October. The CEC said legal requirements of the regular revision of electoral rolls was initiated by the commission in February this year to enlist nearly 15 million new voters.

The commission has revised and improved the system for revision of electoral rolls after a prolonged exercise. Half a million officials in various parts of the country are involved in the exercise.

Since the revision of electoral rolls was half complete and was scheduled to be concluded on July 21, the elections could have been legally challenged if they were held before the completion of the exercise, he said.

This point was also discussed at the meeting of the representatives of the recognised political parties held yesterday. The meeting was held in a 'very very cordial atmosphere', he said, adding that the commission noted and considered their suggestions before reaching its conclusion.

UNI

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