Spokesman for the ruling party for example, said that the President should not ask the National Front, the opposition alliance on the grounds that there is no guarantee it will hold together for a full five year term and because it is too disparate a grouping.
But President Venkataraman has asserted his independence in recent days. He ordered the Election Commission to investigate reports of electoral fraud by Congress party workers in the Prime Minister’s constituency in Amethi as a result, voting was held again in nearly 100 voting districts on Mon day although the commission has turned down the demand of the opposition candidate, Rajmohan Gandhi to a new vote in the entire constituency.
Rajmohan Gandhi the grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi who led the independence movement against Britain said when asked whether the National Front should be called on to form the next Government, “I expect the President of India to uphold the Constitution to uphold the highest democratic traditions and moral standards.”
Article extracted from this publication >> December 1, 1989
