Sops by Delhi, MP govts
CEC takes serious view
Tribune News Service and agencies

NEW DELHI, Sept 16 — The Chief Election Commissioner, Mr M.S. Gill, today took serious note of sops announced by governments of Delhi and Madhya Pradesh where assembly polls are due before the year-end and renewed his suggestion for a neutral administration before elections.

While the Delhi Government yesterday announced a special drive to grant ownership rights to residents of 44 resettlement colonies in the Capital, a similar move was made by the Madhya Pradesh administration which decided to regularise "illegal" colonies.

These announcements were made even as the commission directed Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Mizoram to refrain from taking any major financial initiative in order to ensure a level playing field for all parties particularly the Opposition during the forthcoming Assembly poll.

"This only strengthens the need for citizens of this country to seriously consider my suggestion for a neutral administration on the eve of elections", Mr Gill told PTI when asked for his reaction on the announcements.

Mr Gill said "of course I wonder if any largesse would gain votes and I look to India’s mature electorate to assess all such actions of all parties involved very critically."

Mr Gill’s suggestion that Chief Ministers of the four states should resign to allow a neutral administration under the Governor to enable conduct of free and fair poll had triggered off protests from both the BJP and Congress which termed it as impractical.

Replying to questions, Mr Gill said "I am not surprised at this congruity of action in two different states ruled by two different parties.

"That is why the Commission has sent a strong caution urging propriety and good democratic practices by all parties. This is what we can do at the moment", he said.

The Commission has made it clear that the Model Code of Conduct would come into operation once the schedules for poll are made public. It has also said the poll schedules for the four states would be announced shortly and that they were all in "active election mode."

Meanwhile, the Commission has sent a communication to Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar saying that its directive to the four states to refrain from making announcements to influence voters should be followed by Central ministries.

Commission sources said Central ministries should ensure that the Commission’s directive is not violated as it applied equally to them.

After a meeting attended Mr Gill and other two Commissioners G.V.G. Krishnamurty and J.M. Lyngdoh on Monday, the Commission had written separate letters to chief secretaries of the four states saying "in general, the Commission expects that nothing will be done by the incumbent ruling party which can be seen as simply largesse undesirable exertion of influence on voters."