BANGALORE: The political tussle over the election of the Chairman of the Legislative Council has ended with Governor T.N. Chaturvedi saying that the election should be held on April 5.

Following the order passed by the Governor, the Government issued a special gazette notification to this effect on Friday.

The post of Chairman fell vacant on June 17, 2006 after the membership of the incumbent, V.R. Sudarshan, of the Congress, expired. The Opposition Congress had expected that the Government would announce the election during the sessions held in July and September in Bangalore and Belgaum respectively. It took up the issue during the pre-budget session that began on February 5 and stalled proceedings till February 13.

Pressing its demand, it launched a two-pronged attack on the Government in the Council. It demanded that the Government announce the date for holding the election, arguing that the N. Thippanna, one of the members of the panel of presiding officers, had no right to conduct the proceedings of the House in the absence of Deputy Chairman Sachidanand L. Khot.

Mr. Khot had met with a major accident and was then undergoing treatment in Belgaum. Meanwhile, a Congress delegation led by Leader of the Opposition in the Council H.K. Patil met the Governor seeking his immediate intervention to solve the imbroglio.

On February 13, the continuing stalemate took a curious turn with Mr. Thippanna ordering that 26 Congress members present in the House "not participate in the proceedings and keep themselves out of the House for the rest of the duration of the session."

The next day, a delegation of the Congress Legislature Party met the Governor and urged him to direct the Government to notify the date for electing the Chairman.

The Governor then directed the Government to hold the election.

`Moral victory'

Speaking to presspersons in the lounge of the Council on Friday, Mr. Patil said that the episode was a moral victory for his party. The party would field a suitable candidate in consultation with the party high command, he said.

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