NEW DELHI, 23 October — With crucial elections in Jammu and Kashmir over, the Election Commission is preparing for polls in violence-torn Gujarat but it is yet to decide the dates, officials said yesterday.
"No decision has been taken regarding the date of announcement of the Gujarat polls," a senior commission official said. "But we have started the usual preparations for elections in the state." However, sources said the elections are likely to be held in two phases on Dec. 16 and Dec. 19.
The sources indicate, the commission has sought Gujarat government’s opinion about the dates and may formally announce the same on either Oct. 31 or Nov. 1. Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh is likely to review the situation in Gujarat on Friday.
The official said reports suggesting polls to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly being held mid-December were "purely speculation".
Lyngdoh had told the Supreme Court elections in Gujarat would be held in November-December.
The poll panel has been under pressure from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to hold early elections in Gujarat, which has been accused of trying to exploit the Hindu-Muslim polarization following fierce sectarian violence in February-May.
The BJP faces a stiff challenge from the Congress party in the state, and both are determined to win the elections. The deadline for holding polls within six months of the last assembly session, as prescribed by one constitutional provision, lapsed on Oct. 8.
After the poll panel struck down the plea to hold polls by October, the BJP has been clamoring for polls in December, asserting it was the only way to restore normalcy in Gujarat.
Though the election panel, led by Lyngdoh, has kept its plans for Gujarat under wraps, officials confirmed preparations such as arrangement of security forces and revision of electoral rolls was on in full steam. One official, however, denied that any formal meeting had been held with the Home Ministry on Gujarat polls.
While they await an official announcement of the schedule, political parties have already stepped up their campaign in the western state whose capital Gandhinagar has elected Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to the Lok Sabha.
Advani will meet the Gujarat BJP’s election committee today when he visits Ahmedabad to inaugurate a theater complex. This is in a long line of hectic consultations that saw Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi discuss election strategies with Advani last week.
Last week, the Election Commission asked the Gujarat government to transfer civilian or police officials who had been four or more years in one job so that those who had developed ties with local politicians were moved out.
This was seen as a precursor to the announcement of poll schedules.
