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Friday, Oct 12, 2007
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Gujarat Congress team meets Election Commission members

Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD: A delegation of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee on Thursday met the full team of the Election Commission of India and requested it to take necessary steps to ensure that the model code of conduct was strictly implemented in the State.

The Commission team, led by the Chief Election Commissioner, N. Gopalaswami, is currently on a two-day visit to the State to oversee administrative and security arrangements for the elections to the State Assembly to be held in two phases on December 11 and 16.

BJP reservations

The delegation of the ruling BJP, however, expressed reservation over such a long period for the implementation of the model code of conduct which had come into force with the announcement of the poll dates on Wednesday. The delegation leader and party general secretary, Jayanti Barot, said all development activities, which had gathered momentum during the six years of the Narendra Modi administration, would come to a standstill till the completion of the election process three months away.

The Congress delegation while expressing satisfaction over the halt to the “misleading claims of development activities,” also wanted the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the State. It said several senior good and efficient administrative officials, who had sought transfer outside the State because they were unwilling to serve under the Modi regime, should be recalled and given election duties, as the Commission had done during the recent Bihar elections. Similarly, good officers who were “sidelined” by the Modi administration should be given field postings during the elections. The party also wanted a strict vigil by the Commission over use of abusive and derogatory languages by the political leaders during the campaign.

The Congress delegation said though the party favoured abolition of octroi duty in the municipal corporation areas in the State, it had reservations about its implementation with effect from November 15, as announced by the State government earlier, in view of the election code of conduct coming into force.

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