LUDHIANA: Despite stiff opposition from the BJP and the Communist Party of India and the CPM, the elections to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha will be held before the expiry of the extended term of President’s Rule in the state. The present term of the President’s rule ends on May 11.
According to officials indications available here today, the elections to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha will be held in the last week of April or first week of May. The State Administration is going ahead with the preparations for the same and officials sources say that elections can be organized once the Central government takes a final decision in this regard.
The BJP and the Communist Parties have been opposing the holding of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections in the State on the ground that the same will not be free and fair when the State is witnessing violence and killings.
Although the Akali Dal (Badal) was initially opposed to the holding of the Vidhan Sabha elections since Parkash Singh Badal took over the President ship of the party, he has been pleading for the same at the earliest.
The leadership of the Akali Dal (Badal) is of the view that the charisma of Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann is on the decline and the Dal (Badal) will be able to secure the majority in the Vidhan Sabha and shall be able to form its government. Mr. Mann President Akali Dal (Mann) right from his release from jail has been pressuring for Vidhan Sakbha poll in Punjab and he wanted the same to be held along with the elections to the eight State Vidhan Sabhas on February 27. Mr. Mann is still confident of sweeping the polls as and when held in the state. The Akali Dal (Mann) has even decided to launch a morcha from Baisakhi day -April 13 — if the elections to the Vidhan Sabha are not announced soon.
As far as the militants are concerned they have announced their non-participation in the Vidhan Sabha election as they maintain they have no faith in the Constition of India, But the AISSF (Manjit) faction is not rigid on this issue and wants that the Sikh youth should participate in the election as they did in the Lok Sabha poll.
The Punjab governor Mr. Nirmal Kumar Mukarjee has been touring the State to assess the situation with a view to sending his recommendations to the Center on the political situation. The Governor has already visited more than half of the districts of the state and met a cross section of the people. The people in general have asked for holding the elections as they are fed up with the bureaucracy and alleged ram-Pant corruption in the State Administration.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 23, 1990
