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Gill meets senior EC officials

The dates and other programmes for the Lok Sabha election will be finalised in consultation with the political parties and taking into account all other relevant factors, Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill said today.

After an hour-long meeting with President K R Narayanan, the CEC did not give any firm indication about the schedule of the elections but merely pointed out the constitutional provision that the new Lok Sabha should be constituted well within six months of the last sitting of the dissolved 12th Lok Sabha.

The dissolved Lok Sabha had its last sitting on April 22 and thus the new house should be constituted before October 21 this year.

Among the factors to be taken into account was that fact that elections to nine state assemblies were also due later this year or early next year, Dr Gill said.

He said all these issues would be discussed at a full meeting of the commission tomorrow.

Asked whether the elections would be held in early June or September, Dr Gill was non-committal and merely said the constitutional provisions would be upheld in letter and spirit.

Earlier in the day, with the Union Cabinet recommending the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, Dr Gill held a meeting with his senior officials in New Delhi.

Dr Gill rushed to New Delhi from the United States after he was advised to return at the earliest by President K R Narayanan last night.

The CEC, who had gone to the US on a private visit and was scheduled to arrive in New Delhi in the first week of May, will take the initiative in conducting elections once the notification in this regard is issued by the President after dissolving the 12th Lok Sabha.

UNI

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