The stand-off between the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over deployment of security forces during the Gujarat elections continues. The EC has demanded 400 companies of paramilitrary forces but the MHA is unwilling. An official statement today said the Ministry has already ordered deployment of 200 companies from November 22 ‘‘as desired by the EC’’. Further requirements, the spokesman said, were to be met by December 5. Cong ‘clears’ poll candidates NEW DELHI: The Congress Screening Committee for Gujarat Assembly polls is said to have cleared the names for 182 seats to be finalised by the party’s Central Election Committee here on November 12. The Screening Committee, headed by senior leader Pranab Mukherjee, had two rounds of meeting on Wednesday, party sources said. AICC general secretary in charge of state affairs Kamal Nath, senior party leader P.M. Sayeed, Gujarat PCC president Shankersinh Vaghela and CLP leader Amarsinh Chaudhary took part in the decision-making, they said. (PTI) The Ministry refused to commit on how many companies it will be offering. ‘‘By then (December 5), we will have an idea about the mood and the security situation. Additional forces will be approved only after that,’’ officials said. Contesting the EC’s demand, a senior official said: ‘‘We conducted successful elections in J-K with 427 additional companies. But the Centre has not had an occasion to provide so many companies anywhere else in the country. Bihar, at its worst, has not got more than 70-80 companies.’’ The EC today said it is yet to hear from the Ministry. ‘‘We sent a note. We have not got any reply,’’ a senior commission official said. On reports that the EC had threatened to postpone the polls if the companies asked for are not sent, an official said: ‘‘There are many issues involved. It is not necessary that polls should be deferred because of lack of additional forces.’’ The EC had asked for 200 companies by November 22 for building the confidence of the voters and 200 more during polling. Announcing the elections on October 28, Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh had said: ‘‘The situation in the state is fine. But we are not taking any chances and have sought a large force from the Home Ministry to keep mischief-makers away.’’ But MHA officials said meeting the EC’s demand did not seem feasible. ‘‘We will really have to squeeze ourselves,’’ an official said. Jammu and Kashmir, where most of the forces are concentrated right now, wants the security build-up to remain for now. Deputy Prime M L.K. Advani had recently hinted that forces in the state, which were deployed from the North-East and other parts of the country, would be pulled back to the pre-election level. But J-K CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed asked the Centre to give his government some time to settle down.
