CEC says no to fresh poll dates

The Election Commission today rejected Opposition Shiv Sena-BJP combine8217;s demand to change the polling date for Assembly elections in M...

The Election Commission today rejected Opposition Shiv Sena-BJP combine8217;s demand to change the polling date for Assembly elections in Maharashtra from October 13.

8216;8216;There were representations either to advance or postpone the polling dates. However, there was no unanimity among the political parties over it, so they have decided to maintain October 13 as the date,8217;8217; Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy said.

The Sena-BJP had demanded that assembly polls be advanced to October 12 to avoid holding it on 8220;Sarvapitri Amavasaya8221;.

Krishnamurthy, accompanied by ECs B B Tandon and N Gopalswamy and the state8217;s Chief Electoral Officer U.P.S. Madan, said the demand was rejected for want of unanimity among representatives of political outfits. Also, a postponement by a day was not possible, he said, because 8216;8216;the festival of Navratri starts on October 14.8217;8217;

The CEC also rejected the Sena8217;s demand for permission to use saffron flags, which happens to be the party8217;s flag, during the Ganesh festival. 8216;8216;Party flags cannot be used at religious functions. There is a clear distinction between the two flags and you will come to know about it when a case for violation is filed,8217;8217; he said.

On whether he had warned parties against using the word 8216;Hindutva8217;, he said, 8216;8216;a clear judgement is available in this regard. The EC need not clarify or amplify it8221;.

Reacting to the Sena leader8217;s demand that the EC should differentiate between religion and politics, the CEC said: 8216;8216;We are not here to provide dictionary services to anybody. There are laws and plenty of court judgements, including that of the Supreme Court, distinguishing religion and politics.8217;8217;

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On the police8217;s refusal to allow Veer Savarkar8217;s portrait or floats during the Ganesh festival, the CEC said, 8216;8216;there is no harm if they show national leaders.8217;8217; He, however, cautioned that it would have to be within the ambit of the law.