NEW DELHI: Polls to 10 parliamentary and 23 assembly seats have been countermanded in the current elections in India and more than half of them on grounds of electoral irregularities.
It is perhaps for the first time in India that elections have been countermanded due to poll malpractices as has been done in Meerut Etawah and Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh Patna and Purnea in Bihar.
Earlier elections could be countermanded only upon the death of a candidate But in March 1989 by an amendment to the representation of peoples act the election commission was empowered to countermand polls in case of any electoral malpractice. The election commission exercised its new power for the first time in 1990 when it countermanded poll to Meham assembly constituency because of electoral irregularities.
In 1991 elections deaths of candidates have necessitated countermanding of poll in five parliamentary seats of Nanded in Maharashura (Rpt-Nanded in Maharashtra) Dhenkenal in Orissa Kutch in Gujarat Barh and Saya in Bihar and six Assam
Article extracted from this publication >> June 14, 1991
