M A I N   N E W S

EC move to curb money power
Contacts Finance Ministry

NEW DELHI, March 28 (UNI) — In an unprecedented move, Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill has asked the Union Finance Ministry to take effective steps for curbing the use of reported money power to influence the Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and some other states.

Dr Gill told reporters here today that he was much concerned over reports on the use of money power in the Rajya Sabha elections. He contacted the Union Finance Ministry and told it that it had much more authority to curb money power through its departments of Expenditure and Income-Tax. Their officials should be deployed for this purpose. There was a positive response from the ministry. The commission on its own was trying its best to ensure free and fair polling for the Rajya Sabha elections. The Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the states concerned had been appointed Special Observers by the commission. They had also been instructed to maintain secrecy of the ballots, he said.

The Rajya Sabha was called the House of Elders. It was the House for mature people. Its reputation should be maintained, Dr Gill said.

The EC has convened a meeting of major recognised political parties on April 29 to discuss electoral reforms, Mr Gill said.

The meeting would discuss various issues, including measures to check malpractices in polling, particularly misuse of money power, provision of identity cards to voters and delimitation of constituencies to balance the number of voters, he told reporters here.

Mr Gill said a proposal had been sent to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to take steps for the early passage of the Electoral Reforms Bill during the Budget session of Parliament.

He also said the commission had sent letters to Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala asking them to take steps for assembly elections in those states before the expiry of the terms of the respective state assemblies in May 2001.

Mr Gill said the Chief Ministers had been asked to ensure that photo identity cards were made available to all electorates and that the voters’ list was made available on CD-ROM disc.

Fear of cross-voting and money power led to deterrent action by the EC in tomorrow’s biennial poll to send 29 members to the Rajya Sabha from eight states.

There are 41 candidates for the 29 seats.

The states are Himachal Pradesh (one seat-two candidates), Karnataka (four seats-five candidates), Orissa (three seats-four candidates), Rajasthan (three seats-four candidates), Uttar Pradesh (eleven seats-16 candidates), West Bengal (five seats-six candidates), Bihar (one seat-two candidates) and Jammu and Kashmir (one seat-two candidates).

While there will be by-elections to the Upper House of Parliament for one seat each from Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir, biennial elections will be held for the remaining 27 seats.

The elections have assumed significance, particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, due to the presence of some influential and moneyed candidates in the fray against the nominees put up by the ruling parties in the states. Managers of political parties are spending sleepless nights to ensure the election of their candidates and the EC has taken several steps to maintain secrecy of ballot papers.

Industrialist Jayant Malhoutra, journalist Rajiv Shukla and expelled BJP leader Sachindanand Sakshi Maharaj, who is now with Samajwadi Party, have lent an edge to the contest in UP where Union Minister Rajnath Singh, former ministers Sushma Swaraj and Gyaneshwar Mishra are also contesting.

In Karnataka the race has hotted up with the entry of liquor baron Vijay Mallaya for whom the JD (U) has announced support against its ally BJP which has fielded former Union Minister Rajashekhara Murthy.

Thirtyone candidates have been declared elected uncontested before the polling to be held tomorrow in the states. Andhra Pradesh (six), Bihar (eight), Gujarat (four), Haryana (one), Madhya Pradesh (six) and Maharashtra (six).

Dr Gill said officials of the departments of Expenditure and Income-Tax under the Finance Ministry should be deployed in the states to maintain vigilance since the EC could not ensure whether there would be payment of money outside the polling booths.