The Hindu : National : Centre not for change of poll schedule

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Friday, Dec 24, 2004

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National

Centre not for change of poll schedule

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 23. The Government will not ask the Election Commission to reconsider the poll schedule for the Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana Assembly elections as it is confident that the budget session of Parliament will not be affected by it.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said on Wednesday: "We do not want to make an issue of the election dates; we will not approach the Election Commission." The only "sacrosanct date" was the presentation of the Union Budget on February 28 and that would not be affected by the election schedule as the last date for polling in Bihar and Jharkhand was February 23, while in Haryana polling was on February 3.

Mr. Azad said the election campaign would be effectively over on February 21, while the budget session normally begins around February 20.

Although he did not specify the date, he indicated that it could be immediately after the campaign ended or after the last polling day. Some "marginal adjustments" could be made in view of the election schedule.

He pointed out that only three States would be involved in the election process.

The high points of the budget session are the President's address to the joint session of Parliament, the presentation of the Railway Budget, the tabling of the Economic Survey and the presentation of the Union Budget on February 28, Normally, the Railway Minister interacts with the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the Planning Commission in the run-up to the Railway Budget, but with the Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, expected to be tied up with the Bihar and Jharkhand elections from now to at least February 21, it is a matter of conjecture what will be done this time.

A delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party recently met the Election Commission, to ask it, among other things, to reconsider the election schedule. Party leaders said the Commission seemed to be open to that suggestion but wanted more than the allotted 300 companies of security forces for the smooth conduct of elections.

They said most probably the Government would be approaching the Commission for a change in the election schedule, but Mr. Azad has ruled that out.

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