Get on with the polls

There is little scope for postponement because of the constitutional provision that does not allow an interregnum of more than six months between two sessions of the Lok Sabha. In other words, a new popular government has to be in placebefore October 21. This rules out a postponement. Of course, Thakre has floated the idea of having an all-party meet to evolve a consensus on the entire gamut of postponement. There are emergency provisions in the Constitution to enable the government to put off elections but it will have dangerous implications.

There is no doubt that the situation that has arisen following the Pakistani intrusion is extraordinary. While the nation is united on the question of pushing the infiltrators out of the country, no sensible person is in favour of war. But if a war is forced on the nation, the people will certainly rise to the occasion. Even in such a situation, elections do not become anathema.

The country has vast experience of holding elections and it has one of the bestorganised election machineries anywhere in the world. Even if the military campaign against the intruders takes longer than is expected because of the topographical conditions of the Line of Control, fears that it will adversely affect the pollsare unwarranted.

Political parties have shown a remarkable sense of duty in backing the government8217;s political, military and diplomatic initiatives against the aggressors. They can certainly be expected to cooperate with the Election Commission in making the elections a success. The cooperation they had extended to the electoral reforms the Commission had introduced on its own in the past is undoubtedly confidence-inspiring.

In the past too, the Election Commission had faced difficult situations. For instance, a few years ago, it had the gigantic task of holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir in the face of the violent election boycott campaign unleashed by Pak-inspired terrorists there. To draw another parallel, Britain successfully conducted an election when the country was involved in the Second World War.

Some political parties are worried that the conflict might unduly influence the voters, as had happened in 1971. But this is to assume that voters are easily swayed by what happens on the borders.In the forties, the wartime government was voted out in Britain despite winning the war and in 1998, the voters of Pokharan voted against the BJP despite the bomb. In any case, it is too silly a reason to demand postponement.