NEW DELHI: Many Congress I Members of Parliament are putting pressure on Rajiv Gandji to delay the election as long as possible.
The Prime Ministers equivocal statement that the present Monsoon session of the Lok Sabha may be the last one has only made them campaign harder.
According to columnist Kuldip Nayyar the five year tenure of the present Lok Sabha comes to an end in the second week of January. One proposal is to hold a short session of Parliament towards the end of December and then dissolve the house. The purpose is to get the grace period of six months allowed for holding the polls. The constitutional obligation, article 85, shys that the intervening period between one Lok Sabha session and the other should not be more than six months.
There is no legal compulsion to hold the elections immediately after the Lok Sabha tenure ends. But the new Lok Sabha should meet within six months of the last session. The desperation of some members is reflected in the suggestion by some of them that the term of the present Lok Sabha be extended by one year even if it means amending the Constitution.
They argue that this could be done because they almost have a two thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. The Congress I is short by ‘one vote and if Sat Pal Malik, who has joined Janata Dal is disqualified under the antireflection law, the gap will be covered.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 18, 1989
