The Hindu : National : Poll schedule to be framed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 01, 2005

National

National

Poll schedule to be framed

J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI: Rejecting the demand for holding early Assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission on Tuesday said it would frame a suitable schedule for the polls taking into account all relevant factors.

Some political parties sought an early election before the onset of monsoon and some before the expiry of the President's rule on September 6. Some others wanted the elections only after the rainy reason as floods were an annual feature. These parties also requested the commission to keep in view the festivals such as Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali, Eid and Chhat Puja falling in October-November.

The commission said it had taken note of these requests and views of political parties. Apart from considering the report of the two-member team, the commission also received valuable inputs from the Meteorological Department about the onset and withdrawal of monsoon for the last 10 years and from the Central Water Commission about the impact of floods and heavy inflow of water from the catchment areas in Nepal.

"In Bihar, the monsoon is expected to set in by the middle of June this year as per the forecast and the previous records furnished by the IMD," the commission said. It had also taken into consideration other aspects such as the need to update electoral rolls, which were frozen after the last date of making nominations for the last general elections in February this year.

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