Congress poll schedule ignores deadline

Though Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) M S Gill preferred to remain non-committal on the Congress’ unilateral extension of the deadline, sources in Nirvachan Sadan pointed out that the EC had earlier turned down the party’s request for an extension.

Gill said the EC would meet once his colleagues G V G Krishnamurthy and J C Lyngdoh returned to the capital and take a decision in the matter. “Let the Commission get a request in writing from the Congress. We will then respond”, the CEC said.

Earlier, Congress spokesman V N Gadgil announced that the election process would now start on May 22. The last date for publication of final rolls would be June 1.

Election of the Congress president will be on July 11 and that of the Pradesh Congress committee presidents and office bearers, executive and AICC members on July 12.

When his attention was drawn to the EC’s deadline, Gadgil said the party was confident of getting the clearance for the revised schedule. The Commission would be informed that the party had already set in motion the election process, with enrolment of members.

The poll process had to be delayed following the recent political crisis. Moreover, party MPs had sought an extension as the budget session of Parliament was still on.

Besides, Gadgil said, the party would inform the Commission that it had already set in motion the election process with enrolment of members. The scrutiny was complete in several states.

The last organisational polls in the Congress were held in 1992 when PV Narasimha Rao was the party president. These were held after a gap of 20 years. The Congress too does not have a record of following democratic norms when it comes to leadership, depending more on the charisma of its leaders.

ENS adds from Mumbai: At an informal meeting with media persons, former Maharashtra chief minister Sharad Pawar today expressed concern at the Election Commission’s compulsion on holding internal party polls before May 31.

He hoped for a reconsideration because party MPs might be compelled to remain in New Delhi until the end of May.

Were they to follow the EC’s deadline, they would not get a chance to participate in the election process, he said.

Pawar’s tone was understandably conciliatory. Not wishing to take the bull by its horns, according to reliable sources, like in the Congress most parties have taken to consulting legal authorities over the Commissions’s writ. The legal eagles appear to have opined that the Election Commission might not be entitled to enforce internal party elections on any political party.