Passions still raw

All through last week, delegations representing opinion across the political spectrum have submitted their views on the Gujarat elections to the Election Commission EC. This is as it should be, seeing how crucial these elections are for the future of the state, given its recent past. But, having said this, it should also be stated for the record that the ball is now clearly in the EC8217;s court and it should be allowed to take a decision on this matter without let or hindrance.

Article 324 of the Constitution states unequivocally that 8216;8216;the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of every state8230; shall be vested in a Commission8217;8217;. Since the EC is constitutionally both required and empowered to conduct the elections, it is now its responsibility to arrive at a considered view and this process should not be sullied by suspicion and influence-peddling. From all indications, passions are still raw in Gujarat. Although life in the state has assumed some normalcy when compared to the blood-letting that March witnessed, there is really no room for complacency. Every now and then, incidents of communal violence break out, setting the clock back all over again. This Sunday, for instance, the north Gujarat town of Prantij witnessed a conflagration. The blaze that consumed ten shops spoke of subterranean tensions which may not be manifest at all times but need just a spark to flare up all over again.

Similarly, the situation in Ahmedabad is still fairly volatile with explosions and stabbings becoming very much part of everyday reality.

The EC will have to make an assessment on two broad counts. One, whether an early election will indeed help heal the state as K.P.S. Gill, until recently the security advisor to the Modi government, continues to maintain, or whether it will exacerbate prevailing tensions and witness the recurrence of widespread violence.

Two, whether all the citizens of the state will be able to vote fairly and freely so soon after the social fabric of the state has been torn asunder, leading to the uprooting and out-migration of a large number of people. Clearly, it is only when the EC arrives at some conclusion on both these aspects can the process of holding elections be activated.