EC allows JD, JMM more time to complete polls

NEW DELHI, May 11: After showing a spot of ``leniency'' to the Congress, the Election Commission has allowed a similar extension in the dea...

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NEW DELHI, May 11: After showing a spot of “leniency” to the Congress, the Election Commission has allowed a similar extension in the deadline for the Janata Dal and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to complete their organisational polls.

The parties are now required to complete their election by June 15.However,no further extension would be entertained, Commission officials have warned.

Election Commissioner G V G Krishnamurty told The Indian Express that the Commission took the decision yesterday, and the necessary orders will be issued tomorrow.

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Earlier this month, the EC had sent a show cause notice to the Congress after the party announced a poll schedule which went several weeks beyond the May-end deadline announced by the Commission for all political parties to complete their in-house polls.

The Election Commission’s notice was seen as a virtual threat to derecognise the party. The Congress backed down and issued a revised poll schedule, assuring the EC that the inner party elections will be over by June 15. The EC agreed to the 15-day extension.

After the Congress move, Janata Dal working president Sharad Yadav too petitioned the EC for more time for his party to complete its poll process. The JMM also sent in a request citing difficulties in adhering to the original May 31-deadline.

The inner-party polls are required under Section 29(a) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, and by taking on the Congress recently the EC has tried to send a message that it wants the clause implemented.

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Responding to the Commission’s directive, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India Marxist, Tamil Maanila Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party have declared they had already held their organisational polls.

The Janata Party and the Samata Party have promised to hold their polls by May 31.

Several other parties have also informed the Commission that they had either already held the polls or planned to complete them by May 31.

The National Conference has however told the Commission that it had not managed to hold organisational elections because of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.