NEW DELHI: The country will 80 to polls in three phases on May 2023 and 26 to elect the tenth Parliament and assemblies of five States and a union territory but no elections are being held in states of Punjab Assam and Jammu and Kashmir now under central rule as yet.
Simultaneous assembly elections will be held in Tamil Nadu Kerala West Bengal Uttar Pradesh Haryana and the union territory of Pondicherry.
By elections to seven assembly seats in four states will also be held next month.
The filing of nominations will begin on April 19 and the last date for this will be April 26. Security will be done the next day and the last day for withdrawal of candidatures will be April 29.
While the election commission’s announcement Friday did not specify which state would go to polls on what date it said the election dates for Assam Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir would be announced at a later date after taking into “account all relevant factors” thus turning down the government’s recommendation Thursday for parliamentary and assembly elections in Punjab and Assam.
Chief Election Commissioner T.N .Seshan said the decision not to hold polls in the three troubled States was taken in the light of the view expressed by major political parties that the present situation “is not conducive” for conduct of free and fair elections.
Seshan who held prolonged discussions with federal home secretary R N Bhargava on the possibility of holding elections in Assam and Punjab following the government’s recommendation said special security arrangements would need to be taken in the three states and accordingly the poll schedule in these states would be announced at a later date after taking into account all relevant factors.
He said the commission had decided to recommend to the president the issue of a notification calling upon all parliamentary constituencies in all the states and union territories to elect members to parliament on April 19
The parliament was dissolved on March 13 and the president had directed the constitution of the new parliament on or before June 5.
Seshan said the commission had accepted the requests of Kerala Uttar Pradesh and west Bengal for holding Siren by the home secretary to the election commission for holding Punjab and Assam polls Seshan read out the letters which side government desired holding of elections in the two states along with the parliamentary polls.
While central rule was imposed in Punjab on May 111987 Assam came under central rule on Nov 27 last year. In the last session parliament had extended the central rule in the Punjab and Assam till November this year
Seshan also said the commission had received no recommendations from the centre regarding holding of polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Asked about the commission’s decision on the Janata Dal Janata party symbol case and the petition seeking dereccognition of the BJP Seshan said the commission would pronounce its verdict within reasonable time.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 19, 1991
