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EC may fix poll date today

The Election Commission will fix a convenient date for the Lok Sabha polls in consultation with six national parties and 48 regional parties at a meeting in New Delhi today.

Election Commissioner G V G Krishnamurthy told the media yesterday that the Commission would decide on ''a date which would ensure a better voter turnout and uninterrupted communication network''.

He said that, in May and June, many parts of the country would be reeling under severe heat wave. From July to September several places would face the problem of heavy rains and cyclone, he said.

This clearly indicates the LS polls may be held in October. However, it is still not clear whether the Commission would go in for a simultaneous poll to the Lok Sabha and nine state assemblies.

He said the Commission would take an appropriate decision in the interest of the nation. He said that 58 per cent voting was registered in the 1996 Lok Sabha elections and 62 per cent in the 1998 polls.

UNI

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