EC needs three months to hold polls
Even as snap polls are still in the realm of speculation, precedents indicate that it could take the Election Commission two-and-a-half months from the date of dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
By Bharti Jain, TNN |
NEW DELHI: Even as snap polls are still in the realm of speculation, precedents indicate that it could take the Election Commission two-and-a-half months from the date of dissolution of the Lok Sabha to hold the first phase of the next general election.
Sample this: the 13th Lok Sabha was dissolved on February 6, 2004, based on a recommendation of the Union Cabinet on January 27. The general poll to elect the 14th Lok Sabha could start only two-and-a-half months later and was held in multiple phases between April 20 and May 10. The gap was similar between the dissolution of the 11th Lok Sabha and elections for the 12th Lok Sabha: after dissolution of the House on December 4, 1997, the polls got under way on February 16, 1998 and lasted until March 7, 1998.
However, it took almost five months between the dissolution of the 12th Lok Sabha on April 26, 1999, and the polls held between September 5 and October 3, 1999. This is because May-August was considered unfit for holding general elections due to the harsh summer and monsoon. If elections are to be called anytime soon, the EC would be in a position to schedule the next general election no less than three months from the actual dissolution, depending, of course, on the preparedness of the states in terms of rolls revision.
Going by the recent assembly poll precedents of the EC’s insistence on perfect rolls — the exercise of deletions/additions to the rolls starts as early as six months before the actual polling — it may be some time before the states can be declared prepared for a general election.
According to a senior EC official, the timing of a possible snap poll could be decided only after taking stock of the preparedness of each individual state in terms of rolls revision (for example, in Tamil Nadu, the EC is midway through updating the photo electoral rolls).
The commission will also scan the usual parameters before finalising a poll schedule: weather, examinations, holidays, festivals, etc. However, the EC official made it clear that the question of assessing the states’ preparedness for an early general election would arise only if the House is dissolved.
Sample this: the 13th Lok Sabha was dissolved on February 6, 2004, based on a recommendation of the Union Cabinet on January 27. The general poll to elect the 14th Lok Sabha could start only two-and-a-half months later and was held in multiple phases between April 20 and May 10. The gap was similar between the dissolution of the 11th Lok Sabha and elections for the 12th Lok Sabha: after dissolution of the House on December 4, 1997, the polls got under way on February 16, 1998 and lasted until March 7, 1998.
However, it took almost five months between the dissolution of the 12th Lok Sabha on April 26, 1999, and the polls held between September 5 and October 3, 1999. This is because May-August was considered unfit for holding general elections due to the harsh summer and monsoon. If elections are to be called anytime soon, the EC would be in a position to schedule the next general election no less than three months from the actual dissolution, depending, of course, on the preparedness of the states in terms of rolls revision.
Going by the recent assembly poll precedents of the EC’s insistence on perfect rolls — the exercise of deletions/additions to the rolls starts as early as six months before the actual polling — it may be some time before the states can be declared prepared for a general election.
According to a senior EC official, the timing of a possible snap poll could be decided only after taking stock of the preparedness of each individual state in terms of rolls revision (for example, in Tamil Nadu, the EC is midway through updating the photo electoral rolls).
The commission will also scan the usual parameters before finalising a poll schedule: weather, examinations, holidays, festivals, etc. However, the EC official made it clear that the question of assessing the states’ preparedness for an early general election would arise only if the House is dissolved.
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