Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Confusion over voters' list for polls

Girish Menon

Election process can be challenged in court: former SEC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The local bodies elections are likely to be a flawed one, with all political parties complaining about the delay in publishing the voters' list and delimitation of wards. The notification issued by the State Election Commission on the schedule regarding filing of nominations, subsequent scrutiny and the withdrawal process seems to have violated the provisions of the local bodies laws.

Without the publication of voters' list, candidates contesting the local bodies elections would not be able to file their nominations as they have to provide the number given in the voters' list. The former State Election Commissioner M. S. Joseph said the commission's notification on the last date for filing of nomination had violated the provisions of the local bodies laws. The SEC had fixed September 6 as the last date for filing of nomination. According to Section 38 and 49, seven days' time was provided for filing nominations from the date of notification. In this case, the Government issued notification on August 29. As per this, the last date for filing nomination should be August 5. The problem was applicable to the dates for scrutiny and withdrawal.

Mr. Joseph said that this was not only a violation of the panchayat laws but would create a lot of subsequent problems. He feared that the election process could be challenged in the courts. Mr. Joseph said that usually the SEC issued notification for the election almost the same day of the Government notification. In this case, there was a day's delay. The lack of coordination between the Government and the SEC had created a lot of confusion. The delay in publication of voters' list in several places would create problems for candidate contesting the elections, he said. In some places, the ward limitation process was not yet over. Congress Legislature Party secretary K. C. Joseph had also raised his party's concern at the delay in publication of voters' list. Mr. Joseph said the Commission's decision to accept the 2000 panchayat election voters' list as the base data was responsible for all the confusion. Interestingly, only the Congress leaders are up in arms against the SEC. The UDF liaison committee had made faint noises against the SEC's decisions, but the ruling coalition was quick in assuring all help to the SEC to conduct the elections smoothly.

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