Facing severe criticism from opposition parties as well as former election commissioners for delinking announcement of poll dates for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the Central Election Commission was at pains today to justify the move. It said the Gujarat election schedule was announced later acceding to pleas from the state administration that the relief and rehabilitation work being undertaken in flood affected districts should not get affected.
As soon as he was done with announcing the poll dates for Gujarat, Chief Election Commissioner A.K. Joti was bombarded with questions on why the polling schedule for the western state was not announced together with Himachal Pradesh on October 12.
Joti denied allegations of complicity of the Commission with the ruling BJP, saying the poll panel's decision was based upon written requests from the Gujarat Chief Secretary sent on September 27 and October 2 which stated that announcement of the poll schedule could affect relief work in the affected districts of north Gujarat.
"The Commission, while deciding the schedule, takes into account many factors. The issue we had to take into account was the unprecedented rainfall and flood in the state in the months of July and August," Joti said.
Joti had come well prepared with letters from the chief secretary and a report of the relief and rehabilitation work done in the flood affected districts of Gujarat.
He said various stakeholders and authorities in Himachal Pradesh had on the other hand asked for polls to be held before November 15 as the higher reaches would receive snowfall and that would pose difficulties for voters.
"The two states are geographically different and they are not even neighbouring states," he said.
Refusing to comment on the criticism by former election commissioners of the delinking, Joti said the commission's decision is based on the prevailing situation, which is dynamic and not static.
"There is no fact in the theory that our credibility will be affected," he said.
Asked why the commission did not follow the precedent of 2007 and 2012, when the poll schedule for the two states was announced together, he mentioned the cases of 2002-03 and 1995, when the election dates were announced separately.
He said the commission took care that the results of Himachal Pradesh would not have an effect on Gujarat as the outcome would be announced together on December 18.
Joti also said that this was not the first time that the commission had acceded to the request of a state government with regard to announcement of poll dates. He mentioned the instance of Tamil Nadu, saying the state administration had sought postponement of election in 2016 owing to the floods in Chennai.
