I/III. http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/election-commission-ec-himachal-pradesh-election-gujarat-poll-4889201/
Error of Commission Non-announcement of Gujarat poll dates invites questions. They could undermine EC’s credibility Written by S. Y. Quraishi Updated: October 14, 2017 12:16 am Chief Election Commissioner A K Joti, flanked by, Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and O P Rawat (L) announces the schedule for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo Election Omission: EC announces poll dates for Himachal Pradesh but not for Gujarat The moment the Election Commission of India (EC) announced the dates of the Himachal Pradesh election at a press conference on Thursday, my phone started ringing. I did not pick up as I am away in London, and call roaming charges have often in the past taken away half of my monthly pension! Social media went abuzz as well, where I am fairly active. There are two sets of questions: Why have the Gujarat dates not been announced? And, why a gap of 39 days between the voting and counting in HP? Actually, both these questions are interlinked. The EC itself made it clear that the Gujarat poll would be held before the counting in HP on December 19, so that the result in the hill state does not influence the voting in Gujarat, a routine reason for clubbing all polls falling within a period of six months. As the Gujarat poll has to be announced within a few days, as the CEC mentioned, there seems no apparent justification to partially delink the two. This curious gap of a “few days” has justifiably raised the hackles of the people. What is absolutely clear is that the HP election announcement could not have waited even for a single more day. In fact, the announcement was overdue. On November 15 every year, the Rohtang Pass is closed for winter, which cuts off parts of Himachal Pradesh from the rest of the state, making elections there impossible. This particularly affects three constituencies in the districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. In 2007, the HP High Court had ordered that polls in the entire state must be held simultaneously instead of in two instalments, February and June, as had become the norm because elections in three constituencies were invariably deferred till June on account of the snow. By then the government was formed, denying the three constituencies their share in power, making the elections there inconsequential, if not redundant. If the EC had not scheduled the HP poll on November 9, it would have jeopardised the poll in the three snowbound constituencies and violated the high court order for simultaneous polls, attracting contempt of court. The polling parties that would go to the snowy region have to complete the process and return to the lower heights before the closure of Rohtang Pass. The Himachal date was, therefore, a foregone conclusion and any intelligent person could have guessed it. Why, then, was the Gujarat election not announced? Both mainstream and social media are abuzz with speculation and snide comments, casting aspersions on the EC. Is it to accommodate some VVIP visit to the state? Well, the model code does not come in the way of a political rally, even if it is to be attended by the PM. Are some populist announcements of new schemes and freebies in the offing? If the answer is yes, as we would all soon know, this should have been done already. If the government does indeed announce freebies now, it will subject itself to huge criticism and ridicule. The last-minute freebies no longer seduce the voters. I have often wondered why all the bright ideas for populist schemes come to politicians’ mind only on the eve of the elections. It would be pertinent to recall that in 2007, the EC had advanced the HP election by as many as four months to club it with Gujarat, stunning the Virbhadra Singh government which was getting ready to declare the usual sops. When he came to the EC with half his cabinet to protest against the early imposition of the model code, not only was his request rejected, he was made to pay Rs 16 lakh for using the state plane for a political, non-official visit. If the government does announce new populist schemes and freebies, it would cause the EC a huge embarrassment. It would be accused of giving the government of Gujarat the few extra days before invoking the model code of conduct. The hard-earned reputation of the Commission’s ferocious independence could be in tatters, which would be disastrous for our democracy. Politicians must remember that their legitimacy comes from free and fair elections conducted by a constitutional body whose own legitimacy is the ultimate guarantor of the credibility of elections. The EC has been fortunate to have established such a reputation not just in India but globally. Hillary Clinton described it as the gold standard. Reputations take years to build but minutes to crash. Coming back to the announcement, there are two new features — the use of social media and the VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail). As regards the former, it’s a good idea “to enhance the interaction and involvement of all the stakeholders” by inducting the use of social media platforms at the district, state and EC levels. The EC has been sorely missed on social media all these years. It should, however, be prepared to face public criticism — even abuse. Being on social media requires the skin of a pachyderm. It has already provided the people with good ammunition! The other new feature is the first ever use of the VVPAT in a full state election. Vote slips of one booth per constituency will be counted randomly. Questions are being asked, such as why only one booth, but the EC has clarified that it is on a pilot basis. I think it could also consider accepting a couple of “appeals” for counting the vote slips, like appeals in cricket against the umpire’s doubtful decisions. It’s painful to see aspersions being cast on the Commission, especially the CEC, just because he was a Gujarat cadre officer. How can we forget that the same Commission had covered itself with glory just a month ago in the high stakes Gujarat Rajya Sabha election by asserting its well established independence and neutrality? The ruling party and the government would do themselves, the EC and the nation a great favour if no new schemes are now announced, belying the people’s apprehensions. This would shut up the critics who say the delinking of 4-5 days is to enable the government to announce poll sops, beating the model code of conduct. The writer is former chief election commissioner of India and author of ‘An Undocumented Wonder — The Making of the Great Indian Election’ II/III. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/election-commission-poll-code-delayed-by-ec-gujarat-officials-open-project-purse-strings-4889459/ Poll code delayed by Election Commission, Gujarat officials open project purse-strings The BJP-ruled Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s standing committee was convened Friday to finalise a mega event for Sunday where Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is expected to inaugurate development works worth Rs 780 crore. Written by Aditi Raja , RITU SHARMA Vadodara/ahmedabad | Updated: October 14, 2017 7:17 am The Election Commission was expected to simultaneously announce dates for Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat elections (File Photo) The Election Commission’s controversial decision to delay the announcement of poll dates — and thus defer the application of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) — has come in handy to the ruling BJP to push ahead with a string of announcements. The BJP-ruled Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s standing committee was convened Friday to finalise a mega event for Sunday where Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is expected to inaugurate development works worth Rs 780 crore. It also approved extending free logistical services to Sri Sri Ravishankar’s Diwali event in the city. On Thursday, the BJP-ruled Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, anticipating the MCC, advanced its standing committee meeting by an hour and a half to clear proposals worth Rs 530 crore in just 10 minutes. The Election Commission was expected to simultaneously announce dates for Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat elections — as it has done since 1998 with the exception of 2002 when Gujarat polls were advanced — at 4 pm and the AMC standing committee meeting was scheduled for 4.30 pm. The AMC advanced its meeting to 3 pm. The conduct code delayed, the AMC today concluded the ninth “Shahri Garib Kalyan Mela” in Ahmedabad where of a total 4103 beneficiaries, 3262 were distributed kits including cheques, funds and bonds under the “Manav Garima Yojana”. These kits distributed included sewing machines, utensils, tri-cycles, dairy products, street-vending carts and other household items. On the first day on Thursday, 580 kits worth Rs 44.42 lakh and cheques and bonds worth Rs 38.35 lakh were distributed; on the second day, 507 people were given kits worth Rs 34.08 lakh and 1161 beneficiaries were distributed cheques and bonds worth Rs 48 lakh. The cheques included a minimum of Rs 2000 given to school girls as Vidyalakshmi bonds; Rs 5000 to parents with two girls and who have undergone sterilisation; Rs 10,000 as a revolving fund by the AMC’s Urban Community Development department and the highest Rs 50,000 for intercaste marriage. In Vadodara, too, the VMC Standing Committee met for the second time in the week on Friday clearing 39 projects — eight of which came minutes before it met. On Monday, it cleared 16 of 20 listed projects. Among the total 59 development projects cleared this week are road projects worth Rs 47.50 crore. These include annual contracts for RCC roads across the four zones of the city. A special project includes “beautification” of the road from Kalaghoda area to MS University for Rs 17.92 lakh as well as new cages and veterinary hospital for the animals in Sayajibaug zoo for Rs 6.35 crore. The big-ticket schemes include Rs 165.75-crore project for providing drinking water to the city from Mahi River at a capacity of 150 million litres per day and beautification of the Sursagar Lake at a cost of Rs 38 crore. Incidentally, beautification of the iconic lake was also undertaken before the 2012 Assembly polls. The projects also include widening of the Kalaghoda Bridge, a flyover on the Sussen Crossroads, a storm water drain parallel to the national highway on the East zone of the city as well as approval for a budget of Rs 15 lakh to “settle a court case” in the matter of non-payment of electricity dues. Among the supplementary proposals submitted before the Standing Committee, minutes before it was convened on Friday evening, was a proposal to offer logistical services of VMC to Sri Sri Ravishankar’s Art of Living Foundation event “at no cost”. The event is scheduled to be held on October 19 at Polo Ground in Vadodara. The proposal stated: “The Lakshmi Puja and Satsang event is to be held at Polo ground on October 19 by the Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravishankar. Since it is a religious festival, the Municipal Commissioner seeks power to extend logistical services to the Foundation such as medical assistance, lighting, hoardings, banners and cut outs at no cost.” Officials said that among the VMC projects Rupani will inaugurate are the city’s command and control centre as well as the recently renovated Sardar Patel Planetarium inside the Sayajibaug garden. Inauguration of the tourist information centre near the railway station as well as a possible foundation-stone ceremony of the integrated transport hub across the railway station, called the Jan Mahal, under the Smart City project, could also be on cards. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will fly in to Surat on Saturday to address a public meeting as part of the Gaurav yatra, in Bardoli of Surat district. The yatra is due to conclude on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Gujarat gaurav mahasammelan at Gandhinagar on Monday. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will address a “Mahila townhall” in Ahmedabad the same day. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, who addressed the Gaurav Yatra at Valsad, Navsari and Surat on Friday, will lead the yatra in Kutch district in the constituencies of Mandvi, Abdasa and Mundra. III. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ec-junked-past-practices-to-help-bjp-congress-4889425/ EC junked past practices to help BJP: Congress Th EC had on Thursday announced that Himachal Pradesh will vote on November 9 and the results will be declared on December 18. Gujarat polls, Chief Election Commissioner A K Joti said, will be announced later By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: October 14, 2017 8:08 am Election Commission of India (File) The Congress on Friday hit out at the Election Commission (EC) for breaking from convention and not announcing the election dates for Gujarat along with Himachal Pradesh. The party said that the poll panel has “handed a rope” to the BJP to “somehow climb the cliff” in Gujarat, where, he maintained, the ruling party is looking to lure the electorate with sops. Th EC had on Thursday announced that Himachal Pradesh will vote on November 9 and the results will be declared on December 18. Gujarat polls, Chief Election Commissioner A K Joti said, will be announced later. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told the media on Friday, “Within 10 minutes of the Election Commission’s announcement, the Gujarat government (of the BJP) announced sops worth hundreds of crores.” He said that “past practices, conventions and precedents” were being set aside to help the BJP. Singhvi accused the BJP of denigrating the authority of the Election Commission and alleged that the party put pressure on the EC to convert the Election Commission to “Election Omission”. Addressing the media in Ahmedabad, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan and UP Congress president Raj Babbar said that the “anomaly” of announcing elections in Himachal Pradesh, and not announcing the dates for Gujarat, “casts a shadow of suspicion on the working of the EC. “Allowing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce various sops like a Santa Claus in Gujarat on October 16 speaks volumes about how the BJP is staring at defeat in Gujarat,” Babbar said. In Delhi, Singhvi also alleged that a “drowning man is desperately clutching at straws” to announce populist sops on Monday, referring to Modi’s scheduled visit that day. “We would like to strongly point that BJP is trying its best to influence the functioning of the Election Commission. Just like it belittled the authority of the RBI, judiciary, and other important institutions, it is trying to pressurise the EC,” he said. Stating that EC should announce the dates for Gujarat elections and enforce model code of conduct immediately, Singhvi said the Gujarat government on Thusday “declared a slew of sops aimed at wooing agitating Patidars, the Valmiki community, lakhs of government employees and the powerful builder lobby. Why was it in such a tearing hurry?” He said the BJP-ruled Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation also advanced its standing committee meeting to clear proposals worth Rs 530 crore in just 10 minutes. “This is bribery — collective or attempted bribery,” he said. Calling it a “last-ditch effort to save itself from the (electoral) thrashing, which it will receive”, in the forthcoming Gujarat elections, Singhvi said the BJP resorted to “shameless pressure tactics on the EC”. The party has “most blatantly denigrated the authority and power of the Election Commission,” he said. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
