CEC goes on reforms spree

If chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy has his way, he would place a ban on independent candidates, get rid of 8216;8216;uninsp...

If chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy has his way, he would place a ban on independent candidates, get rid of 8216;8216;uninspiring8217;8217; government ads with mugs of politicians and check the 8216;8216;obnoxious8217;8217; nexus between bureaucrats and politicians. But, most startling of all, was his suggestion that 8216;8216;governments should resign at least three months ahead of the date of poll8217;8217;.

Without mincing words at a workshop on electoral reforms, Krishnamurthy said: 8216;8216;There is no doubt that the parties in power have an undue advantage. At the time of Assembly polls it would be good if all parties agreed to resign8230; Perhaps, the CM, Finance Minister and Home Minister could continue in office and all others resign.8217;8217;

The CEC lambasted the bureaucracy, saying the 8216;8216;middle and lower levels8217;8217; has got 8216;8216;highly politicised8217;8217;. If that was not enough, Krishnamurthy accused bureaucrats of openly aligning themselves with politicians. 8216;8216;The nexus between some criminals and some politicians is as obnoxious as the nexus between some criminals and some politicians,8217;8217; he said.

The EC, he said, was concerned about the Assembly polls in three states. 8216;8216;What8217;s worrying me is the impunity with which the criminal elements are moving about freely in some areas in this country threatening to spread fear in the mind of the voters,8217;8217; he said. He, however, gave a clean chit to Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala.

Krishnamurthy was also critical of independent candidates, as they were not subject to regulations by a collective body.

8216;Debate, don8217;t communalise8217;

NEW DELHI: The controversy over the use of the U.C. Banerjee report on Godhra was cleared by Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurhy on Saturday, who said the Commission was not against a debate on the issue. 8216;8216;We have not stopped debate or discussion on the report. But it should not be used to communalise the electorate,8217;8217; the CEC said, while commenting on RJD chief Laloo Yadav8217;s stand that he would rake up the report during electioneering. 8212; ENS