PUNE: The widespread and grim situation due to swine flu has upset the poll schedule for the forthcoming Assembly election in Maharashtra, compelling the state Election Commission to call for a meeting of all political parties to discuss the issue.
The deputy chief electoral officer AN Valvi said her today that the political parties will be probably summoned for a discussion this weekend. Valvi said that while preparing a tentative schedule for the Assembly polls, the Election Commission had taken into consideration the Hindu festivals of Hindu god Ganesh, Dassera, Diwali and the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Fitr, as also the school and colleges mid-term exams. Unfortunately, the widespread swine flu epidemic has superseded these considerations, he said.
Valvi further said that as per the tentative schedule, the election code of conduct was expected to come into force in the last week of August and the elections were to be held around the second week of October. Political parties had already started preparations for the polls, he added.
Meanwhile some political parties aired their views on the poll dates. The Maharashtra State Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesman Hussain Dalwai said that it was a fact that the situation in the state has become volatile due to the widespread of swine flu, which has not become a crucial factor while deciding the assembly polls schedule and said that all political parties should discuss this in details with the state Election Commission.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesman Madan Bafna said that the state Election Commission has to discuss the matter with the Federal Cabinet and said that a delay in elections will result in constitutional problems as the new state assembly should be in place as soon as the term of the existing assembly ends. Bafna felt that the swine flu situation could be brought under control in the next few days and the election schedule would not be affected.
Neelam Gorhe the Shiv Sena spokesman said that her party has already held internal discussion regarding the poll dates in the backdrop of the swine flu virus spread. However, her party would make its stand clear during the meeting with the Election Commission, adding that her party was in favor of holding the elections as per schedule.
The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Madhav Bhandari said that it was too premature to take a decision relating to the polls and said that the BJP has sought a fact file of the swine flu virus spread in the state and after reviewing it the party will present its stand to the Election Commission in this issue. He also urged that the state government should convene an all-party meeting to initiate preventive measures to curb the spread of swine flu.
