Assembly polls in May

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 10. Expressing concern over the incidents of violence in West Bengal where Assembly polls are barely four months away, the Chief Election Commissioner, Dr. M. S. Gill, today said the Commission's role would arise only at the time of entering the poll process.

``At the moment matters being projected in the media are constitutionally in other domains. There is the State Government, the Centre and other organs of the State.''

The Commission would focus on the polls in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry, West Bengal and Assam well before the third week of May. On the situation in West Bengal, he said, ``we are concerned and focussed on having a good law and order situation in all the five States during the polls.'' (According to a UNI report, Dr. Gill said Assembly elections in four States and the Union Territory of Pondicherry would be held in the third week of May. It was proposed to hold the polls simultaneously to ensure that results of one State did not affect those in others. The Assemblies in these States and Pondicherry should be constituted two weeks before their present terms ended.)

The Commission wanted to conduct a peaceful and fair poll. While the terms of the Tamil Nadu and Kerala Assemblies are scheduled to end on May 21 and 28, the terms of the West Bengal and Pondicherry Houses expire on June 9 and the Assam Assembly will have its term till June 11.

Dr. Gill said his colleague on the poll panel, Mr. T.R. Krishnamurthy, would visit West Bengal tomorrow for assessing the poll preparations in the State.

The five-member National Democratic Alliance team which visited the violence-affected Garbeta town in West Bengal called on Dr. Gill today. Mr. Vijay Goel, BJP MP and member of the team, said it conveyed its apprehensions of escalation of political violence as elections approached. The team feared that state-sponsored terror would not be conducive to holding free and fair polls in West Bengal.

EC golden jubilee

Dr. Gill said the commission would commemorate 50 years of its existence, launching a two-day golden jubilee celebration here. The inaugural function at the Vigyan Bhavan on January 17 would be addressed by the President, the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and the Union Law Minister, said Dr. Gill.

About 20 foreign participants, including chiefs of national electoral bodies and international organisations, would attend a seminar on electoral democracy and interact with their Indian counterparts. Representatives of the Election Commissions of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka are expected to attend the celebrations.

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