EC may ignore pleas for early polls

The Election Commission has put forward two primary reasons for delaying the polls. Firstly, that it has begun a process of updating the electoral rolls to enrol all voters over the age of 18 years. This exercise would be completed only by July 20.

Secondly, the Commission feels that it makes eminent administrative and financial sense for Nirvachan Sadan to club the general elections with the state assembly polls.

Such a move would rule out the duplication of efforts like the movement of security forces, deputation of civil servants, school teachers and other local functionaries, setting up of polling booths, transportation of ballot papers, blocking of schools to serve as polling and counting centres, all of which would be called for in any election, whether to the Lok Sabha or the state Assemblies.

Dubbed the "mother of all elections", even by a conservative estimate the polls this time around would cost the exchequer not less than Rs 800 crore. And since these polls are unexpected, most state budgets are far from likely to have any provision for such an expenditure.

But the argument of those favouring early polls is that this long hiatus could cost the country dearly, resulting in an economic slowdown in the six months till a new government is sworn in. Several major decisions, including that of signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, India’s commitments to the WTO and a host of legislative bills, would lie in limbo till a new Lok Sabha is convened.

Also, the ruling political alliance does not think the revision of electoral rolls is an insurmountable problem.

For example, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner pointed out that to avoid delay, last year’s electoral rolls would serve just as well. EC officials however, maintain that this is a routine revision of the electoral rolls, which they are reluctant to call off since it is already underway.

After a relative lull of 13 months, the Nirvachan Sadan headquarters of the Election Commission was once again buzzing with activity. While CEC M S Gill and the two Commissioners, G V G Krishnamurty and J M Lyngdoh, got down to the nitty-gritty of planning for the polls, Gill also met a number of leaders, many of who are pleading for early elections.

Riding on what it perceives as a "sympathy wave", the BJP and many of its allies have pressed for an early poll date, arguing that elections in September would be marred by floods and the annual cyclonic storms that hit the eastern coast around then.

Floods in the North-east, Bihar and UP, and cyclones in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Orissa could disrupt road and rail traffic and communications, Samta party leader George Fernandes told Gill when he called on the CEC today.

Similar arguments were put forward on behalf of the BJP by Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Kumaramangalam, who had a separate meeting with Gill.

The Congress, in no tearing hurry to go back to the electorate following its inability to cobble together a government, has said it would abide by the decision of the EC. Congress leader Kamal Nath, who also met Gill, said his party had no particular preference on the timing of the polls.

In Hyderabad, Telegu Desam Party supremo Chandrababu Naidu pushed for early polls, preferably before the first week of July, to end the "uncertainty" at the centre.

Naidu is also opposing any move to hold the general elections simultaneously with state Assembly polls which are due in December this year. But considering the financial resources required to conduct an election, even to the state Assembly, it is likely that the EC will override Naidu’s objections to clubbing the two polls together.

The EC is expected to reach a decision on the poll date and announce the poll schedule over the next few days.