The Hindu 30.01.2010
State Election Commission cancels BBMP poll notification
Staff Reporter
| Fresh dates to be announced after Government submits ward-wise reservation |
According to the earlier notification polling was to be held on February 21
State Government to write to SEC next week on election issue
BANGALORE: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday cancelled the schedule announced for elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
This comes in the wake of the State Government expressing its inability to redo the reservation of wards, as directed by the Karnataka High Court, before February 1, the date fixed for issuing the election notification. As the Government had not redone the reservation list so far, the commission was constrained to cancel the notification, the SEC said on Friday.
“Fresh date for conducting elections will be announced after the State Government submits the ward-wise reservation list,” it said.
With this, the model code of conduct, which was in force since January 15, will no longer apply.
According to the schedule announced by the SEC on December 7, 2009, the notification for the BBMP elections had to be issued on February 1 and polling was scheduled to be held on February 21.
Meanwhile, the State Government stated that it was studying Thursday’s Supreme Court verdict before taking any decision on the conduct of the elections and redoing the reservation for wards. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S. Suresh Kumar told The Hindu that some portions of the Supreme Court order needed to be scrutinised thoroughly before any decision could be taken.
The State was yet to receive a certified copy of the Supreme Court order and, as of now, it was going by the advice of the Advocate-General and the State’s advocates in the Supreme Court. Both have orally communicated the Supreme Court order to the State Government.
Mr. Suresh Kumar said the State would write to the SEC next week on the election issue.
SEC advocate K.N. Phanindra said he advised the SEC to issue a fresh notification as the current calendar of events would not hold good as it was issued based on the reservation list rejected by the Supreme Court in Thursday’s order. He said the SEC was yet to file an application before the High Court.
As the Supreme Court had given liberty to the State and the SEC to approach the Karnataka High Court to seek more time to redo the process of fixing reservation for wards, it was expected that both would file applications before a Division Bench shortly.
