NEW DELHI, SEPT 16: Major political parties, including all the national parties, today agreed on the enforcement of model code of conduct from the date of announcement of polls while parties from Tamil Nadu, where assembly elections are due early next year, expressed certain reservations.Their views were conveyed at an all-party meeting convened by the Election Commission.The regional parties from Tamil Nadu like DMK, MDMK and PMK felt enforcement of the code from the date of announcement would hamper developmental activities in the state. AIADMK, however, insisted that the code should be enforced from the date of announcement of poll."I am optimistic" Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill told ,edia persons after a marathon four-hour meeting with leaders of nearly 37 political parties at the Nirvachan Sadan here."There is almost overwhelming agreement today which might become unanimous in the next three to four days time and I will work for it," a confident Gill said.Though senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi initially took the stand that the code should be enforced from the date of notification, the party could agree to the enforcement of the code from the date of announcement if the gap between announcement and notification was reduced to two weeks or less.Three parties from the eastern region also expressed certain reservations on enforcing the code from the announcement, the CEC said hoping that they would agree to the Commission's views."In the coming days, I will have dialogue with political parties on reducing the gaps" from the date of announcement of elections and the date of notification, Gill said.The Commission has maintained that the model code should be implemented right from the announcement of the polls but the then United Front government at the Centre moved the Supreme Court challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court judgement that the code should come into operation from the date of poll announcement.The case is still pending before the apex court."We will go the Supreme Court with a request to settle the matter for the good of the country," Gill said.Stating that BJP and some other parties had also maintained that the campaign period should be raised to 21 days from the present stipulation of 14 days, he said that the Commission also saw some reason in their argument.The political parties argued that 14 days campaign time was insufficient in view of some of the parties announcing their candidates on the last day giving little time for contestants for campaigning.
