In a representation to the three-member Election Commission, Congress today stressed on single phase assembly polls in Gujarat, while the ruling BJP wanted election to be conducted in two-phases.
AHMEDABAD: In a representation to the three-member Election Commission, Congress today stressed on single phase assembly polls in Gujarat, while the ruling BJP wanted election to be conducted in two-phases.
The Congress team led by state unit President Bharat Solanki put forward the view that the phased elections would give a chance to the ruling party to manipulate the polls while making a representation to the Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy and Election Commissioners Navin Chawla and Y S Qureshi.
"In the past all parliamentary and assembly elections in the state were held in a single day. 'One day' election in the state will prove to be a free and fair affair. The two-phased elections will give chance to large 'worker force' of ruling BJP to carry out bogus voting," Solanki said.
"The state government has crossed all limits of decency and is flagrantly violating all rules and regulations, code of conduct, constitutional provisions and is misusing government machinery and funds to influence the voters during the forthcoming assembly elections," Solanki told the EC.
The Congress has demanded that the Chief Electoral Officer in Gujarat should implement the election code of conduct immediately to stop the misuse of government machinery and funds by the BJP Government.
He also demanded that officials, who are supporting the present government and have served for more than three years in one position be shifted to other department to ensure free and impartial elections.
The Congress also demanded that postings of police officers facing serious complaints or against whom judiciary has passed remarks for their negligent work during the 2002 Godhra riots, should be reviewed.
It also demanded that sensitive booths may be identified in advance and special police bandobast be made for them.
Besides, the EC should allow other photo Id-proofs for voting instead of just the Photo Identity Cards as many voters do not have them, it said.
The BJP on the other hand sought elections to be held in two phases with a gap of at least five days.
"We have demanded from the EC that election may be held in two phases, following other states and a minimum gap of five days be kept between them," Surendra Patel, MP, who led the BJP delegation said.
The BJP targeted the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre in its submission to the EC by complaining that government broadcaster was engaged in biased reporting.
"The current coverage of Doordarshan is highly partisan and is blatantly favourable towards the Congress. Doordarshan may be instructed to be fair in its coverage of the elections," Patel demanded.
The BJP wanted that the Central Government be restrained from announcing any new schemes that could have an influence in the poll-bound state and that the ongoing projects initiated by the BJP government should not be stopped.
Other political parties like Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and CPI also made representations to the EC.
The BSP demanded that the elections should be held in four phases for free and fair polls. The party also demanded that the state administration be kept away from all procedural and day to day activities related to the elections.
The NCP has sought single phase elections and wanted sufficient deployment of security forces to ensure fair polls.
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