NEW DELHI: The govt has made up its mind to cancel the current election process in Punjab and order a fresh poll sometime in October, As per the existing schedule, elections were slated to be held in the troubled state on September 25.
Following this, the Center has indicated steps to complete certain legislative and administrative measures it wanted to push through before the elections. The Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao held discussions on Wednesday with the BJP leaders. Mr L.K.Advani and Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on a proposed legislation on Punjab disqualifying candidates preaching secessionism or militancy.
On the administrative plane, the Center is all set to effect a thorough reshuffle of bureaucracy, including the police,
The Center is also learnt to have decided judgment of the Punjab Governor. Gen O.P.Malhotra. Search for a new governor is on at the moment.
The Prime Minister, Mr P.V.Narasimha Rao, and the Home Minister, Mr S.B,Chavan, have held a series of discussions with senior Congress (1) leaders of Punjab as also members of the CCPA on selecting a new governor for the state.
It may be recalled that Gen Malhowa resigned from his post in protest against last-minute postponement of the polls in Punjab by the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr T.N.Seshan. Initially, the government tried to persuade him to stay on, but Gen Malhotra reportedly refused.
After the P.V.Narasimha Rao govt took it over, it started a fresh exercise on Punjab trying to see if a new poll process could be started cancelling the one that was already on. It also took opinion of the law ministry on the subject.
One of the major reasons why the new govt wanted to cancel the existing poll process and start a fresh one was that the Congress (I) had boycotted the Punjab election during the Chandra Shekhar time. None of its candidates had filed nominations.
Yet another reason it gave for cancelling the poll process was that candidates would be further exposed to attacks by militants for three months.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 26, 1991
