Documentation Monthly - Election Commission of India
Transcription
Documentation Monthly - Election Commission of India
Documentation Monthly Vc/--7K No. 10 Eleetion Commission of India CONTENTS Page Nos. CHAPTER - I Books and A r t i c l e s 4 - 1 6 CHAPTER - I I Notes on j u d i c i a l decisions i n e l e c t i o n matters. / 17 — 58 59 - 79 Disposal of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s . 80 - 90 CHAPTER - I I I Cases of d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n s . CHAPTER - I V CHAPTER - V Vacancy Statements* 91 — 101 CHAPTER " V I Comm$.ssion's views and pressstatements on c e r t a i n aspects of e l e c t i o n s . CHAPTER - 102 - 119 VII Special measures to safaguard the interests of ueakers sections at elections. 120 « 122 123 129 CHAPTER - .VIII Press reports on elections and political systems of foreign countries and other matters of interest* * * •• • - 137 - •tpf Tile Documentation is intended to acquaint the Officers and staff of the Commission and the Chief Electoral Officers and their staff with articles on current political issues published in Periodicals/Newspapers, received in the Commission's Library, Development in the field of Electoral Law and Procedure, Progress in the disposal of election petitions, judicial decisions thereon, Commission's decisions on questions as to disqualification of members to either House of Parliament or of the State Legislatures and bye-elections to both Houses of Parliament and State Legislatures, - 4 " ' CHAPTER' - I BOOKS AND ARTICLES A number of articles on current political issues and other matters of interest appeared in various periodicals/newspapers which were received in the Commission's Library during October, 1985. A list of such articles, as.are considered to be of special interest, is given in the following pages: LIST OF ARTICLES FOR OCTOBER, 1 9 8 5 . AUTHOR A. (a) TITLE • REFERENCE FOREIGN ELECTIONS' AND POLITICS Magazines Anita Pratap S r i Lanka Talks-Signs of Progress. Bakshi,Deven LJill Hasina Bite Ershad's Onlooker: Sept., .Bait? J 23-0ct., 7,1985, i PP« 38-42. > The writer analyses ( developments in Bangladesh in the wake of speculation that Lt. Gen« Ershad and Sheikh Hasina Uajed uould seek saudi Arabia's help to patch up their differences. Puri,Rajinder Under Attack. IUI: October 6-12, The writer thinks that 1985 p. 39. President Zia's credit with the West is running out. L/ith the return of Benazir Bhutto, an alternative is beginning to emerge. The ghost of her father has begun to hound the Zia regime. Young,Jacob and An 'Electoral Earth Pottinger,Ken quake'. Sunday:October 6~12,138l5,pp.2829. Newsweek:Octo ber 21,1985, p.87. Reg. the elections in Portugal held in early October. Young, g, Jacob and Warsaw. Uoos the Poland. Seward,Debbie R e g. elections in Poland. Newsweek: October 14, 1985, p.15. Contd,.. - 6 AUTHOR REFERENCE TITLE (b) Newspapers P a t r a, S a r a 1 H.N.S. Singh,Rai Bangladesh: Closed-door Politics. Patriot:New Delhi, October 8,1985,p.4. Pakistan's Military Build-up. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,October 14,1985,p.9. Has UN Failed ? National Herald:New DeMhi,October 2 1 , 1985, p . 5 . Sarrna,K\/S Rama Turning point At Nassau. National Herald:Neu -r... , Delhi,October 26, This i s a commentary on V ' tne proceedings, of the Conference of the Commonwealth heads of government. Dar, A.i 'America Today —I Limits Of Powers. I n d i a n Express:Neu D e l h i , October 2 8 , 1985, p . 6 . Oar,A.N. America Today - I I H a l a t i o n s With I n d i a . Indian Express:New D e l h i , October 2 9 , 1985, p . 6 . B.INDIAN ELECTIONS AND POLITICS. (a) Magazines Baweja,Harinder Noises Against NTR, Reg, the political situation in Andhra Pradesh. Probe Ijidia: October 1985, pp. 52-54. Baue ja, Harinder Restoring A Gov/ernment Probe India: October, 1985,. pp. 15-18. Without Bloodshed. This is a report on theelections in Punjab which were held amidst the threat of terrorism. - 7_ ALTTHOR. Bhattacharya, Sbubbabrata Burger,Uilliam REFERENCE TITLE Kerala's Fragile Coalition. Sunday:October 6-12, 1985, pp. 12The author analyses the 14. political uncertainties in the State. Giving the Sikhs A Turn. Neusueek: Octo ber ?,_ ,, , „ ' 1985, pp. 33-34. Heg. the outcome of the Punjab elections. D Dssmond, Eduard U."A Crusade For Moderation". Time: September ... . . . e c, . 30,1985,p.21. c Reg. the visit of Shri ' '^ Rajiv Gandhi to Punjab on the eve of elections. Punjab and Communalism. Seminar:October 1985, pp. 25-38. Johrson, Marguerite TimePOctober 7, "Democracy Has Uon", 1985, pp. 24-25. R e g. the outcome of the Punjab elections. Kaur,Harsharan Elections-Tight Rope Caravan:October(1st) 1985, p,18. U a lk. The writer feels t h a t the elections in Punjab will be fought over the Punjab accord. There is a p o l a r i s a t i o n on communal l i n e s United Akali Oal may cut into Akali votes. Majumdar, Plodhumita I s l a m , P o l i t i c s And The Lau. Sundays oct.ober 6 - 1 2 , 1985, pp." 3 0 - 3 2 . The author traces the course of Muslim p o l i t i c s since I n d i a ' s independence and p a r t i t i o n . nitra,Sumit and The Importance of Being Chaul a ,Prabhu Arun Nehru. A profile of Shri .run Nehru's progress. India Today: October 16-31,1985, p p • 6 °-64>69- - 8AUTHOR Philip, Cherian REFERE CE TITLE The Small "Big • Brothers". Sunday: October 6-1Z,1985, p.18, The author profile the small parties in Kerala uhich hold the key to the life of coalition governments. Puri,Rajinder IUI: October 27Punjab Elections - The Novembar 2,1985, Aftermath. p. 51 • The author outlines the implications of the Akali victory and points out uhy Shri Parkash Singh Badal i s the man,to uatch. Rao,Chitra Nilangekar Calls The Shots. Probe I ndia: October 1985, pp. 32-33 & 77, Reg. the p o l i t i c a l scene in in Maharashtra, Rustamji,K»F, "Uhy Sikhs have taken to terrorism. Probe India: October 1985, p . 1 1 . Sharma,RIta Raj Kariga Khalsa. Sunday: October 6-12 1985, pp. 26-27. Reg. the Akali Oal victory in the Punjab elections.. Shouri,Arun New Tasks ForA IUI:October 6-12, Situation. 1965, pp. 20-23. Against the backdrop of the signing of the Punjab and Assam accords, the u i r t e r analyses the r e a l i t i e s of the polity of r e c o n c i l i a t i o n . Singh,Raminder and Thukral, Gobind. l/erdict Against Extremism. India Today: October 1-15, 1985, pp. 22-35 The writers feel that the more important outcome of the Punjab election uas the eclipse of the forces of terrorism and boycott. People wanted to push painful memories into the background and to give peace a chance. - 9 - TITLE AUTHOR REFERENCE ( b) Newspapers Khanna,K.C. Ministerial Reorganisation- The Times of S t i l l Tilting kt India:l\!eu Delhi, Windmills. " . October 1,1985, Reg. the reorganisation of Central m i n i s t r i e s . Singh, RahuJ. Nou For The serious LJork. Reg» the new ministry in Punjab and the tasks before i t . Indian Express:New Delhi,October 2, 1985, p . 6 . Mathur yGiris-h P o l i t i c s of Conflict may return to Punjab, Patriot:New Delhi, October 2,1985, p.4 f Oain,Girilal The akali Victory In Punjab - Rajiv Gandhi's Role. The Times of India: New Delhi,October 2, 1985, p.8. Singh,Karan Democracy Triumphs. Indian Express: New Delhi,October Reg. the outcome of the 3,1985, p.6. Punjab elections. Editorial "Another Phase. The THindustan Times: ,, , .p. New Oe lhi, Qcto ber 4 , Reg. the prospects of an -jgoq g • v election -in Assam in ' * • c the near future. Menon,N.R. Madhava The Lok Adalat Experiment. The Hindustan Times: New Dslhi October 5, 1985, p.9. Mitra,Chandan Raj Karega Khalsa-I rikali Growth Communal Polarisation. The Statesman: Delhi October 4,1985, p.6. Fiitra, Chandan Raj Karega Khalsa-II Barnala.Unlikely Defender of Faith. The Statesman:Delhi, October 5,1985,p.6. - REFERENCE TITLE AUTHOR Editorial 10 - The Statesman:Delhi, October 5,1985,p.6. And Now I n Meghalaya. Reg. the impact of the Assam accord on' Meghalaya. Reddi,0.S. Rajiv A s Prime Minister National Herald: .v , ' 'New Delhi,October Reg. the. achievements .6, 1985, p . 5 . of Shri Rajiv Gandhi ysince he became the Prime Minister. Jain,Meenakshi In Search' of a Strategy. The Times of India: New- Delhi; October, 6,1985, p.I. The Congress party has been in search of- a winning strategy since 1967. In the 1984 elections^ the Congress has lost Andhra and Karnataka and done well in the North* But even in the north the picture is not as reassuring for the party as its •overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha would suggest Shri Rajiv/ Gandhi has now. . reshuffled his cabinet and given very strong representation to the, north. The authoress discusses its . . possible implications, in the context^of the party^s electoral fortunse since 1967. Edftorial * •Unwise •• .- Statism. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,October The A kali Government 7, 1985, p.9. in trying to project i t s e l f as a zealous guardian of Punjab' s interests, ,seems determinded to fritter away the fund of goodwill from all quarters that attended its installation in office by taking a services of decisions and public statement's of nkerli leaders which will.despgn the disquiet among the minorities and sow the seeds of confrontation with the Centre. - 11 REFERENCE TITLE AUTHOR Editorial Refashioning The Party. ., ^ -„, fteg. the recent shuffle of the Union Cabinet. The Statesman:Delhi, October 7,1985,p.6. '• *. Chopra,V.D. Some lessons from Punjab e l e c t i o n . Patriot:New Delhi, October 7,1985,p.4. . Editorial Polarisation Indian Express: New Delhi,October 8, 1985, p.6. Rarigara jan*R, Purrjab:Uhat Reg. In Assam, Next ? the Punjab accord, National Herald: New Delhi,October 8, 1985, p.5. Sundaram,S'. Punjab elections:Some dimensions. • Patriot:Neu Delhi, October 8,1985,pr.4. Menon N,C. Risks ahead For Barnala. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,October 9, 1985, p.9. Threat From The Periphery-Perils. Are n To See* The. ,K«C. Times Of I n d i a ; Neu,D e lhi, October 9,1985,p.8, Reg. thje state of the Congress Party and i t s future prospects i n the • :-:'•'•• L | A *... country* ftandhir,G,5. . . . . PoJ-JL results analysed-I National Herald: N,ew No erosion of Cong.bases. Delhi,October 5,1985, p.6. Randhir,G.S. Randhir,G.S. P o l l results analysed-II /Strongholds' a myth. Pola. r e s u l t s analysed-III U p h i l l task for Barnala. National Herald:New D e l h i , October 6,1985, p.6. National Herald: Delhi,October 9, 1985, p.6. Editorial •Barnala's tasks. Reg. the•tasks be fore Punjab Chief Minister S u r j i t Singh Barnala. P a t r i o t : New Delhi,' October 10, the p.4. AUTHOR 12 - • REFERENCE TITLE Karlakar, Hirantnay assessing Rajiv Gandhi. Sahay,S. A Close Look:More Than F i r s t Among. Equals. This i s a comment on the recent r e s h u f f l e of the Union Cabinet. Desai,M.H* MTR Ministry- On the Mat. Reg. the p o l i t i c a l scene i n Andhra Pradesh. K i d u a i , A nser Editorial by Shri National Herald: New Delhi, October, 10,1985, p.5. Hajiv Future of the Danata Party. •An I d e n t i t y l e s s Party-. Reg. the state of the Bharatiya Janata Party Triaryan,P. The Statesman: Delhi,October 10, 1985, p.6. Reshuffle arid regroupings. National Herald: ,, , ,P P 1 New Delhi,October Keg. the recent reshuffl-, «QQC: ' q n ing the Union m g of of the ' ' H Cabinet Gandhi. Sethi,3.0. Indian Express: New Delhi,October• 10,1985, p.6. Indian Express: NGU Delhi>Qctober, 11,198 5., p. 6. The Times of I n d i a : New Delhi,October 11,1985, p.8. Adjustment I n P o l i t i c s The Hindustan Times: Goodwill Begat© Goodwill. New Delhi,October ,g. the appreciation that 12,1 98 5, p.9. soraa opposition -leaders have givan-'to Shri Rajiv Gandhi's p o l i c i e s and way of working. Ghose,Loiita and L a h i r i , Ashok. Was Punjab P o l l Communal?. Indian Express: New Delhi,October 12,1985, p. 8. Thakur, Danardan Behind The A k a l i Victory. The Times of I n d i a : New D e lhi,October 13,1985, p . I . Sinha,Arati Governors^Discretionary Patriot:New D e l h i , Powers and I n t a r f e r e n c e . October 14,1985,p,4. Editorial Decline of 3anata. N i o n a l Herald:N.Delhi, ober 14,1985,p.5, - 13 - TITLE AUTHOR REFERENCE Menon,N.C. Congress-I: No F a l t e r i n g The Hindustan Timei Giant. • New Delhi, October ' ,, , 4. 16, 1985, p . 9 . ' P ,, Reg. the s t a t e of the Congress-I in the country and t h e ac+iivements of •Shri Rajiv/ Gandhi. K iduai,anser Parties Sans Principles. National Herald: New Oelhi,October Reg. the state of the 17,1985, p 5 . o various political parties in the country. Kakati,Satis C.' After the ..ccord-Inner Lice Curbs For The Statesman:Delhi October 17,1985, p. C.N.Uijaya The Statesman:.Delhi October 17,1 985,p.6 Karnataka NeusletterOpposition Leader In ward S i t u a t i o n . Ghosh,Sailendranath Reforming The j u d i c i a l System. The Hindustan Times New Delhi,October 18,1985, p.9. Ganguli,nmulya D e l h i ' s Nan For Bengal: The Statesman: Delhi; Hou The Neu PCC(l) Chief October 19,1 985, p . 6 , U i l l Fare. Editorial Opposition Disarray. Reg. the stat§ of the National opposition parties. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi, October 2.' 1985, p . 9 . Ran jara jan, f\. Menance of Regionalism. National Herald: New Delhi,October 22 1985, pp. 5 & 7. K idLjai,c»nser Centre-State Ties Stability Prime Factor. National Herald-: Neu Delhi,October 23,1985, p.5 Bhargava,G.S. NTR: Innocence & Experience. Indian Express; New Delhi,October 23,1985, pa 6. nndhra Pradesh under the Chief Minister ship of N.T.Rama Rao. — 14 — Kirpekar, Su bhash R EFEREMCE T I T LE HUTHOK t3 Ba nk That Failed. Nation? At The Times o f I nd.iaS Neui D e l h i , O c t o b e r p.8. 2 3 , 1985, The Hindustan Times: New D e l h i , O c t o b e r 24, 1985, p . 9 . Gangal» Anurag United Forty. Editorial Sad Postponement. I n d i a n , Express; New , •' , . , , e D e l h i , October 24, Keg. t n e postponement of , g f i L . , C i v i l elections" i n Tamil Nadu. 5ethi,3.D. a Year Of Rajiv Gandhi, Meghalaya1s Turn. Reg. the ' f o r e i g n e r s ' issue i n Megha-laya, Editorial Assam And P a r t i e s . Indian Express: Neu Delhi,October 1985, p.6, 25, Indian Express: Neu Delhi,October 25, 1985, p.6. National Herald; 25, „ . , n rDelhi,October , „ R eq . the s t a t e , of the • T ,. - . 1985, p«5. r e g i o n a l p a r t i e s i s nssam. ' Mukherjee,Pranab Indira Gandhi -The Leader. fiamachandran, CP. KUSUM Indira Gandhi The author traces the history of Smt. Indira The Sunday Statesman (MiscellaryjDelhi, October 27,1985,pp. 1 & 2. The Hindustan Times: Ueekly:Neu D e l h i , October 27,1985, p. I . Gandhi's performance during the period of her Prime Hinistership. Towards Speedier Justice. The Hindustan Times Early this month the VJeeklysNau D ^ l h i , f i r s t Lok adalat uas h e l d 0 c t o b B r 27,1985,p.I. in the c a p i t a l . The author reviews the usefulness of such people's courts which have been-functioning i n some states, especially Gujarat, for quite some time. - .TITLE MUTHOR Mahajan, 15 REFERENCE Neither Lok Nor n d a l a t s . The Hindustan Times: ~ , , New Delhi,October .On the usefulness and 9 R 1qnr q f u n c t i o n i n g of the Lok A d a l a t s . r Singh,3asuant National Security Concept-I. T a c k l i n g a nuclear neighbourhood. ndian Express: New D e l h i , O c t o b e r 29,1985, p . 6 . . ' Singh,Dasuant. National Security Concept-II . Looking f o r a f o r e i g n policy. I n d i a n Express: New D e l h i , O c t o b e r 30,1985, p . 6 . Gadkari,J.P, What's the game, Fir Hegde? Patriot:New D e l h i , ... , x.^ October 3 0 , 1 9 8 5 , p . 4 . Uhat are the reasons * > i- • behind t f i i s sudden change of Chief M i n i s t e r Ramakrishna Hegde? Is i t because he i s facing g r e a t e r o p p o s i t i o n from w i t h i n his Janata P a r t y , or has he become cencerned t h a t he faces a f a t e s i m i l a r to Bhajan L a i ' s of Haryana? Goyal,D.R, National Herald: Delhi,October The author says t h a t the „,-, 1 Q f i c . j7. u events on the eve of the ^ » ' * 0 & > P'= Indira Gandhi Abides martyrdom annversary of Smt. I n d i r a Ga n dhi i r r e s i s t i b l y compel the thought she l i v e s on. Editorial Drama In Politics. On the p o l i t i c a l scene i n Tamil Nadu . aff.er the Chief M i n i s t e r ' s a f t e r to step doun i n favour of new leader. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,October 30,1985, p . 9 . • Oatta-Hay, Sunanda K. Young Man Goes Uest?Implications Of Moscow Stopover. Anand,y.Eshuar Waiting For H Lok P a l - I The Statesman:Delhi, Not A Paper Tiger , October 2 9 , 1 9 8 5 , p . 6 . Ombudsman. The Statesman: D e l h i , October 3 0 , 1 9 8 5 , ^ . 6 . -16 REFERENCE TITLE ,inand,l/. Eshuar LJaiting For A L o k F a l - I I Restoring Public Faith In The System. The S t a t e s m a n : O e l h i , October 3 0 , 1 9 8 5 , p . 6 . Sahay,S A Year after The Statesman: D e l h i , October 31 ,1 9 8 5 , P . 6 . firs. Gandhi. Rangarajan, The Matchless Leader. R L* F<Qg.. Indira Gandhi. National Herald: Neu D e l h i , O c t o b e r . 31,1985,p.III. Chakravarthy, Nikhil N a t i o n a l Herald:Neu D e l h i , O c t o b e r 31,1985, p. I V . Indira-One Year *fter, Kiduai, A'riser Indi ra Gandhi's charishma., National Herald; Neu D e l h i , O c t o b e r 3 1 , 1965, p.5. ' Fiishra,R.K. That F r a i l Uoman LJho B a t t l e d A l l Her L i f e . On I n d i r a Gandhi. I n d i r a Gandhi-In Memoriam. Patriot:Neu QGlhi, October 31 ,1 9 b 5 , p . 4 . Das,Arvind N. Bihar Under The Raj - I hoots Uf Under Development. The Times o f I n d i a : Neu D e l h i , O c t o b e r 30,1985,p.8. Das,Arvind N. • I I - S o c i a l Change I n In Colonial Bihar. The Times of I n d i a J Neu D e l h i , O c t o b e r 31,1985, p . 8 . Rustamji, K.F. I n t e r n a l Security Tasks - I Undoing The dafnage. I n d i a n Express: Neu D e l h i , O c t o b e r , 31,1985, p . 6 . Rustamji, K.F. I n t e r n a l Security Tasks-II R e b u i l d i n g from t h e bottom. ' I n d i a n Express: Neu D e l h i , Nov/ember 1,1985, p . 6 , SenjMohit Patriot:Neu Delhi, October 3 1 , 1 9 8 5 , p . 5 . - 17 * CHAPTER-_I_I NOTES ON JUDICIAL DECISIONS IN ELECTION JITTERS. Under section 106 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the High Courts are required to send a copy each of the orders passed by them in election petitions. Similarly, under section 116 of the same Act, the Supreme Court is required to send, a copy each of the orders passed in election Appeals, Gists of these orders are published in this chapter uith a view to acquainting readers of tha salient points of these orders. This issue contains the gists of orders of High Courts in three election petitions - one each from Himachal Pradesh, Rajaathan and Uttar Pradesh. All these election petitions were dismissed by the High Courts, In addition, judgment of the Supreme Court in Urit Petition No.11738 of 1985 challenging the payers of the Commission to issue Election Symbol (Reservation i and Allotment) Order, 1968 was also received." p e t i t i o n uas, dismissed by the Supreme Court. The The judgment is reproduced in f u l l in the following pages: - 18 IN. THE. HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL. PRADESH (ELECTION PETITION NO. 1 of 1985) l/irendra Kumar . - Versus - Yog Raj and another ... Petitioner . ... Respondents Through this election petition, Shri ' Virendra Kumar,, a defeated candidate challenged the election of Shri Yog Raj to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 39-Pragpur (SC) assembly constituency in the General Election held in March, 1985. The petitioner secured 115212 votes as against 12272 secured by the sleeted candidate', Shri Yog Raj (Respondent No. 1 ) . The petition was filed on the ground of the following irregularities in ths counting of votes. 1. The counting staff were nominees of respondent l\lo.1 and were highly interested ih his success. Counting agents were made to sit on low benches,and uere not allowed to inspect ballot papers or watch the counting process. 2. Oral objections raised against the errors committed' in the course of counting by the counting staff were .ignored by the concerned authorities. - 19 - 3. A large number of valid votes in favour of the petitioner uere rejected . on flimsy grounds. 4. The postal ballot papers were not counted in the presence of the petitioner or his counting agents. 5. The entire counting process was supervised by the Assistant Returning Officer instead of the Returning Officer and was, therefore, illegal. At thoclose of the counting, no announcement was made by the Assistant Returning Officer about the number of votes secured by aach candidate which was essential to enable the aggrieved candidates to oxercise their right to demand recount. Oispite this ommission, the petitioner did apply for recount but his petition was rejected by the Assistant Returning Officer by a non-speaking order passed at the behest of respondent No,1. The respondent No. 1 raised a preliminary objection to the maintainability of the petition on the ground that the petition did not satisfy the provision of section 100(1)(d)(iii) and (iv) as it was not specifically pleaded that the result of the election in so far the elected candidate was concerned was materially affected due to improper reception or rejection'of votes. The High Court ruled that although the petitioner did not use the phraseology -of section 100(1 )(.d), the irresistible conclusion that he intended to convey was that irregularities committed during the counting of votes titled the result in favour of the returned candidate. It, therefore, held-that the - 20 - " requirements of the said section uere substantially met and overruled the objection. As regards the allegations Nos. 1 and 2 levelled by the petitioner, the High Court stated that the petitioner did net say in his deposition whether any of his counting agents had complained to him that he could not uatch the counting due to improper seating. It added that at least two witnesses who deposed stated that the could effectively uatch the counting and that they raised objections which were heard by Assistant Returning Officer ai^d corrective action taken. It, therefore, rejected the allegation. Regarding allegation Nos. 2 and 3 the High? Court without going into the controversy of inproper reception or rejection of votes, stated that even if all the rejected votes and the difference in the number of postal ballot papers were 'added to the tally of votes secured by the petitioner, his votes would still be less than those of the elected candidate. The High Court ruled that the application for recount of votes submitted by the petitioner uas rightly rejected by the Assistant Returning Officer as it did not contain any grounds for recounting. 'As none of the allegations was proved, the High Court dismissed the Election Petition with costs vide £ts order dated 27,9,1985. — 21 — IN THE , HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RA3ASTHAN JAIPUR BENCH, 3AIPUR . (. ELECTION- PETITION NO. 10 OF 1980 ) Shobha Nand . . . Petitioner - Versus - Hazari Lai & others . • ,. Respondents Shri Shobha Nand, an elector, challenged the election of Shri Hazari Lai to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 23- Pilani assembly constituency in the general election held in 1980. The ground of challenge was that the name af Shri Sheesh Ram Ola was not included in the list of contesting candidates on the' basis of the notice of withdrawal submitted' on 5th May, 1980 purported to have been signed by Shri Ola and delivered by his proposer Shri Mahendra Singh. He complained•to the Returning Officer that his candidature had been withdrawn by an unauthorised person and he should ba permitted to. contest the election as a candidate of Indian National Congress, Shri Shobha Nand contended that the notice of withdrawal was not in the prescribed form and that the Returning Officer had not indicated the hour and the date on which it was delivered to- him. Therefore, - - 22 the withdrawal was improper and its wrongful acceptance should be equated with improper rejection of nomination papers. The effect of such a withdrawal was that Shri Ola who according to the petitioner was a. formidable candidate, was kept out of the contest. The counsel for Shri Hazari Lai contended that section 37 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and'the relevant rules regarding withdrawal were directory. It was also contended that notice of withdrawal was a composite and a legally valid document. Shri Ola did not appear as a .witness nor did he file any statement which showed that his withdrawal was proper. The Counsel also urged that even if it was held that candidature of Sheash Ram Ola was irregularly withdrawn the case stood covered by Clause (iv) of sub-section (i)(d) of Section 100 of the Act of 1951, which was not analogous to the provisions of Clause (c) of Sub-section (1) of section 100 of the Act of 1951, There was no provision in this Section about the improper acceptance of the notice of withdrawal. There was nothing to show that such an acceptance of a notice of withdrawal was to be vitiated. As the present case does not fall within the first three clauses of section 100(1) of the Act of 1951, it falls within the residuary clause i.e*» - 23 clause (iw) of aub-ssction (i)(d) of section 100 of the Act of 1951, None of the witnesses examined on behalf of Shri Shoba Nand has been able to shou as to hou the result of the election, in so far as it concerned Shri Hazari Lai had been materially affected. On a perusal of the documents and the statement of the Returning Officer the High Court held that strict compliance with' section 37 of the' Representation of the People Act, 1951 uas not made. It added that, it, could not be held that a valid notice of withdrawal uas submitted before the Returning Officer and the same was accepted by him in terms of section 37 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 . The High Court then proceeded to consider whether an improper acceptance of the notice of withdrawal could result in voiding an election. The counsel for Shri Shoba Nand submitted that by accepting the notice of withdrawal in breach of section 37 of the Act of 1951, Shri Sheesh Ram Ola was kept out of the arena. He was a formidable candidate from the point of view ,of the electors as well as the winning candidate and the < Returning Officer by accepting the withdrawal facilitated the success of. Shri Hazari Lai and on this ground the election'should be declared void. " On the other Lai submitted that - 24 - . hand, counsel •••• for Shri . Hazari the case before the- High Court uas of wrongful r e j e c t i o n of the nomination" pape-r and uas not t h a t of a wrongful acceptance of withdrawal of candidature Legislature in its of a candidate. The ' wisdom, while amending section 100, vide Act No. 27 of 1956 and Act No. 47 of 1966, did not consider words 'wrongful section of (c) it to include acceptance of withdrawal' of sub-section the Act, necessary (1) uf beihq clear, i n sub- SocLi.'n 100 1951 and as such t\ha i n t e n t i o n Legislat-ure the of the the wrongful acceptance of withdrawal could 'not be equated to keeping out a candidate improperly, specially Ola-being given van opportunity statement•had neither petitioner by f i l i n g supporting it to when Sheesh Ram file accepted the case of the a w r i t t e n statement by.making a statement of Shri Hazari Lai and held that though defective in or by on oath. The High Court agreed with the 'candidature, a written contention the withdrawal of form, could not be equated tc the keeping Shri Sheesh Ram 0 1 a , out of contest. The e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n was dismissed by the High Court vide i t s order any order as to costs- dated 14.6.83 without - 25 - IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD (LUCKNOW BENCH) ' ••' ELECTION PETITION NO. 2 OF 19 85 Ch. Azhar Hussin ...Petitioner Versus Sh.Rajiv Gandhi , ...Respondent Through t h i s election p e t i t i o n , the petitioner, of the constituency and Claiming1 himself an elector to be a worker the election of Rashtriya Sargny Planch, challenged of Shri Rajiv Gandhi to the House of the People from '25-Amethi parliamentary constituency Uttar 1984. Pradesh in the General Election held i n December, He alleged that the respondent was g u i l t y <?), in (.3), of corrupt (3A), that some of practices under sub-sections (4) and (7) Representation of the Shri Gandhi of section 123 of the People Act, 1951, these corrupt ("0, It uias alleged practices uere committed by some agent - other than the election agent of the respondent. uias also contended that It provisions ^ of the Act' uere violated i n connection u i t h counting and .deployment of Presiding Officers and Counting staff. The respondent challenged the maintainability election p e t i t i o n on the grounds that by the petitioner as i t alonguith the a f f i d a v i t of the filed the p e t i t i o n uas defective did not conform to Form No.25 read u i t h rule 94A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, that the contents i n the some of p e t i t i o n uere defective" and that contd,...„. - 26 the petition did not set out the material facts of the alleged corrupt' practices. The petitioner filed an amended affidavit. He also filed two applications seeking amendment of the election petitions, The High Court referred to one of the applications, namely, C. PI. A .No,26 (E) of 1935 for a neu affidavit. The affidavit filed uith the election petition initially did not conform to Form No.25 read with Rule 94A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. The High Court stated that this defect uas not fatal to the maintainability of an election petition because section 83 cf the Act, which provides for the affidavit to be in the prescribed /form, uas not included in Section 86 (1) of the Act uhereunder an election petition shall be^dismissed if it did not comply with the orovisions of Section 81 or 82 or 117 of' the Act. It has been held in the case of Fluraria Radhey Shyam Rarn Kumar Vs. Roop Singh Rathore & others (AIR 1984 Supreme . Court 1545) that a defective varifieation of the affadivit is not fatal to the election petition and may be allowed to be filed at a later stage. The importance of affirmation, as held in the case of l/irendra Kumar Saklecha Us. Dagjiuan and others (AIR 1974 Supreme Court 1957) is to test the genuineness and authenticity of the allegations and also to make the deponent responsible for the allegations. There uas thus no legal impediment contd...... - 27 - in permitting the petitioner to do that even after expiry of the period of limitation for petition. for filing an election In the circumstances C.M.A.No.26(E) permitting to f i l e a new a f f i d a v i t , filed seeking amendment of t h e election and objections raised against i t High Court uent into the election p e t i t i o n . of 1985, uias allowed. Before considering the applications petitioner the by the petition by the respondent, legal requirements the of a valid In the light of the Supreme' Court judgment in Ruplal Sethi Ms, Nachehatar Singh (1982) 3 5C Case 487, the High Court ruled that the uord facts of the occurring in section 83 (i) of tht3 Representation People Act, 195T^neans facts of formulating a complete Based on l\illa of action.has 'material' 'cause of necessary for the purposes action'. on Code of Civil Procedure; Cause been defined in the above mentioned case as follows: "A cause of action means every fact, uhich, if traversed, i t uould be necessary for. the p l a i n t i f f to prove in order to support his r i g h t to a judgment ; of the court. It does not comprise evidence necessary to prove such facts but every fact necessary for the p l a i n t i f f to prove to enable him to obtain a decree. Everything uhich if n o t ' proved uould give the defendant a r i g h t to an immediate judgment must be the part of cause of action. It i s , in other oords, a bundle of facts uhich i t is necessary for the p l a i n t i f f to prove in order to succeed .in the s u i t . 1 ' Therefore fact uhich the a petition must set out each and every lau requires to be proved in order to contd.»»., - 28 'arrive at a requisite decision. Any vagueness- uil-1 entail its dismissal as already held by Supreme Court in Mithlesh Kumar Pandey Vs. Baidyanath Yadav (1984 SC 305) etc. The High Court referred to various Supreme Court decisions in uhich the expression 'ua.gue' and ingredients of various corrupt practices uere explained. It then quoted the provisions of Order 6 rule 16 of the Cade of Civil Procedure and stated: "It is beyond controversy that provisions of Order 6 Rule 16 C.P.C. apply to an; e lee ti on petition, in view of Section 8? of the Act, The provisions of Section 83 of the Act, read uith Order 6 rule 16 C.P.C, present the positive as well as tho negative side of the pleadings in an election petition. Tho former provides for what an election petition must contain; the latter provides for uhat an election petition must not contain.Jf One of' tho elements in, clause (h) of .Order 6 rule" 16 C.P.C.- discountenances a ploading which tends to embarrass the other party. To embarrass 'means, as set out in Uabster IHrd Neu International Dictionary, 1971 Edition, Volume I, page 739,' to place in doubt^ perplexities or difficulties,'' That is the concept of vagueness;, In the case of Davy V. Garret 1878, 7 Ch.D.47.3, it. has been stated that each Darty is entitled, ex debito justitia to.have his case against him presented in an intelligent form so that he may not be embarrassed in meeting it. At p.483 it has been laid down that nothing is nore embaBr-assing to a defendant than a. ; number of statements uhich may be irrelevant- and which he, therefore, does not knou uhat to do. It uas noticed that almost every statement in the claim appeared calculated to embarrass the defendant in ascertaining uhat is the'eage uhich he had to meet. Uhat applies to a pleading calculated to embarrass, applies eouali.y to the other ingredients of Order 6 rule 16 C.P.Ct> na.me.ly,,. to tho pleadings uhich are unnecessary, frivolous or vexatious." In the light of the case of Qashim Us. Cradock 1876 Vol.Ill Ch.Division 376 in uhich it was held that some of the contd...... - 29 statements were true but they had been so mixed up with other matters that it would not bo possible for tthe Court to strike out any part, consequently the pleadinggs were to ge struck ou,t as a whole, the Court added "If a oloading in the election petition lacks in all the 'material facts', it would be bad for want of a cause of action. Since an election petition must be filed uithin 45 days of the. date of the election of the returned candidate,, under Section 81 of the Act it would not ba legally permissible to allci^ an amendment to make good the deficiency uith regard ,to a 'material fact under Section 83(i)(a) of the Act beyond the said period of 45 -days because in the meantime a valuable right would have accrued to the respondent and it is well settled that amendment must not be allowed normally to defect accrued valuable rights. However, in respect of an allegation of a corrupt practice under Section 83(i)(b) of the Act, an amendment may be -allowed even after the expiry of the oeriod of limitation provided that the corruot practice itself has been alleged, and the amendment appears to be necessary to the Court for ensuring a,n affective trial of the election petition. That is what Section 86(5) of the Act contemplates." In the case of Harish- Chandra Bajpai Us. Triloki Singh & another (1957 SC 444), it was held that greater details of facts and instances, already given regarding a corrupt practice may be given by amendmentj but, new ground, of .charges cannot be raised by amendment. The same view could be found in the case of'Ruplal Sa.thi (Supra)," The High Court then took up the allegations to see whether these contained material facts and disclosed cause of action. • One of the allegations was that Sh.fi.H^Beg, a former Chief Dustice of India '''opoeared on the Government controlled news media and made a speech praising tho respondent and comparing his entry into Dolitics as the birth of new contd..... - 30 Arjuna, the insinuation being that the opposition were the Kauravas". It uas argued that Sh. Bog uas a gazetted officer and he assisted the respondent in the furtherance of his election prospects. The respondent pleaded that it uas not alleged that Sh. Beg uas in the service of the government and that his services uere procured or obtained by the respondent, or his agents or other persons uith the consent of the respondent. Further the petitioner had not set out the exact uords used by Sh. Beg in his speech. In the light of Supreme Court decision in K^M.Mani Bs, P.3.Antony (1 979) SC_ Cases 221, in uhich it uas held that a mere making of. the speech or exhortation uas not enough and that transcript of the alleged speech or contemporaneous record of the points or at least .substance of the speech should have been made, it- Was held that since this material fact has not been set out in the election petition, this constitutes an incomplete cause of a ction. , The second allegations against the respondent uas that the INC, of uhich the respondent uas the general secretary and subsequently the President, through the neus media under their control inter-alia portrayed Akalis as secessionists and anti-national and thereby promoted the feeling of enmity. It uas contended by the learned counsel contd.',... 31 for the respondent that tho petitioner had not., set out facts to show how the respondent promoted the feeling of enmity or hatred among different clashes .of citizens, nor had set out the names of the agents or other persons involved.^ It uas urged that views expressed by parsons rcoardings the demands of the Akali Dal were not corruot practice at all uithin the meaning of the Act and that the allegation lacked the material oarticulars. It\uas also urged that matters, uhich hapnoned three years before the elections, uere .4 absolutely irrelevant. based on • The High Court ruled that this allegation uas/Apandpur 3ahib Resolution and not because the resolution uas an act of the Sikh community. the contents of the election petition criticised the political views of the INC and could be said to be on the gjrounds of religion or community as cpntemplated by section 123(3A) of the Representation of the People Act. The petitioner uas hold to have not set out the actual uords of the respondent whereby the latter uas said to have promoted such feelings. The allegation^.therefore, lacked material facts. - Thirdly, the petitioner alleged publication of some objectionable posters making pf objectionable speeches; and distribution of objectionable pamphlets, Tho High Court held i that there uas no material to prove that the respondent contd...... • - 32 consented to those acts, posters or Noreouor, the transcript of the speeches and the names of the workers uho carried these posters uere net furnished. The posters, and press cuttings u s m an integral part of tha election petition but these unro not filed. The fourth charge against the respondent uns that he made concessions, offers and promises to the .. e lectors of Amethi parliamentary constituency on 13.11,1984, The High Court held that the process of election commenced from the date of issue of notification on 29.11,1934 and, therefore, the announcement"made before a corrunt practice, that date did not constitute Moreover, the pleading did not, contain the actual words used by the respondent uhich uas an intoqrol part of the material facts. It also did not specify the bargain entered into by the,respondent with the voters of the constituency. The next allegation uas that the- official machinery employed in the elections' uas terrorised by INC loaders including tuo ministers- of Uttar Pradesh as a result of uhiph fair and fcee elections could not bo .conducted, Tuo hundred polling stations uere alleged to have been coDtured with the help of the aolics and polling staff and that some ballot boxes uere found lyinq under a bridge. The High Court held this charge to bo vague and embarrassing, :ontd, It uas alleged that a large number of ballot boxes were found to have no seals and contained bundles of ballot . papers with their counter-foils intact, that a large number of counting agents of Rsshtriya Sanjay Manch were not given passes for entrv to the counting area by the Returning Officer and that a number of ballot papers, which did not have the signature of Presiding Officers ' had been taken into consideration. But no single material fact in support of these allegations had been set out. The pleading xUas supposed to rest on violation of the •provisions of the Act under Section 100 (1) (d)-(iv) , but it hod not been pleaded in uhat manner and uhich provisions of the Act had been violated. The Court held:- "In my opinion, the ileadinq is clearly in violation of the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in the cases of*3itendra Bahadur Singh Us, Krishna Behari (1970 SC 176), Ram Seuak Yadav Us. Hussain Kamil Kiduai and others (AIR 1964 SC 1249) and Hari Ram Us. Hira Singh (1984 2 SC Cases 35). The pleading in these sub paras uas not in accordance with lau and deserves to bo struck out." Similarly the. allegation regarding the appointment of unqualified class IV employees as Presiding Officers uas also struck out as no list of such persons uas filed. It uas also alleged by the petitioner that a book 'Son of India' uhich contained false allegations against t-ne character of Mrs. Gandhi uas distributed in the constituency and that this uas -coIculated to prejudice contd. ...... the prospects 34 - of the p e t i t i o n e r . Since the petitioner uas.not a candidate but only an e l e c t o r , his election prospects wore not affected, the pleading suffered from lack of Theieforo, materinl. In the end, the Hio.'n Court held l~ •- The oldad'.nris contained in the- e l e c t i o n petition were h i t h,y the mischief o^ Order 6 rule 16 C.P.C. They have been found, s e p a r a t e l y , to be f r i v o l o u s , vexatious, unnecessary and embarrassing; some of them have been found to contain no cause of action at -'11 as f a i l i n g to set out the material facts contemplated" by Section 83{i)(d) of the Act. The i n e v i t a b l e consequence i s t h a t a l l the pleadings, contained in Paragraphs Nos.4(l) to (XVI i) must be struck out. The p e t i t i o n e r thereupon would cease to disclose any cause of action whatsoever. The p a r t i a l amendments, which ore capable of being aljLouei as already indicated, do not improve upon the ultimate nature of the pleadings. The effect of non-diclosure of a,cause of action would not merely be a r e j e c t i o n of the p e t i t i o n under Order 7 r u l e ' 1 1 of C.P.C. read with Section 87 (1) of the Act, but a dismissal of the p e t i t i o n i t s e l f on merits under Section '98 of the Act. In the case of Madan Lai Us. Zargham Haider and others (AIR 1958 Allahabad 596), a Oivisior Bench of t h i s Court held that after s t r i k i n g out of the pleadings in the e iection "petition, the petition i t s e l f i s liable to the dismissed on the ground that i t did not disclose any cause of action and the dismissal would be one on merits under section 98 of the Act." The e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n was, t h e r e f o r e , with costs by the 'ligh Court vide i t s 1985. dismissed order dated 6 Hay, '- 35 - IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA MJILE^QXI 0 ! 1 i'P»1 I 7 3 8 Kanhiya DF L a i Omar J?-§ ....Petitioner Versus • R.K,TrivGdi & Drs. ....Respondents UENKATARAF-ilAH In this p e t i t i o n f i l e d under A r t i c l e Constitution the petitioner yalidity challenges the constitutional of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1959 (hereinafter referred to as 'the 'Symbol Order') which is' issued-by the Election .Commission referred to as 'the Commission'). urged by the petitioner that 32 of the The principal i n support of the Symbols Order which is (hereinafter contention his contention legislative is i n character could not have been issued by the Commission because the Commission is not entrusted by law the power to issue such an order regarding the s p e c i f i c a t i o n , reservation and allotment of symbols that* may be chosen by the candidates at elections It is i n parliamentary and assembly constituencies. further' urged that Article 324 of the Constitution uhich vests the pouer of superintendence, direction and control of a l l elections t.o Parliament and to the Legislature of a Stats i n the Commission cannot be construad as conferring the power on the Commission to issue the Symbols Order. contd - 36 - It is necessary to set out the relevant provisions of lau having a bearing on the above Question at the outset for a proper appreciation of the contentions urged on behalf of the petitioner. Constitution reads thus; Article 324(1) of the. ' .. — "324.(i) The superintendence, direction and control of the preoaration of the electoral r o l l s for, and the conduct of, a l l elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of. every State and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President held under this Constitution shall bo vested in a Commission (referred to in this Constitution as the Election Commission) . f ! Articles 327 and 328 of the Constitution uhich vest the power of making provisions with respect tu elections on Parliament and the Legislatures in the States read as follows" ^ Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may from time to time by lau make provision uith respect to all matters relating to, or in connection uith, elections to either House of Parliament or to the House or either ;House of the Legislature of a State including the preparation of electoral rolls, the delimitation of constituencies and all other matters necessary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses. cantd.... ~ 37 328.Subject to the provisions of this Constitution and .in so far as arovision in that behalf is not made by Par litmant, the Legislature of a State may from time to time by law make provision with respect to all matters relating to, or in connection with, the elections to the House or either House of the Legislature of the State including the preparation of electoral rolls and all s other matters necessary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses." Article 327 of the Constitution confers the pouer on Parliament to make by lau provision uith respect to all matters relating to, or in connection uith, elections to either House of Parliament or to the House or either' House of the Legislature of a State including the preparation of electoral rolls, the delimitation of constituencies and all other matters necessary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses subject to the precisions of the Constitution, Article 328 of the Constitution confers similar power on the Legislature of a State to make' provision with respect to all matters re lating • to, : or- in connection uith,. the elections to the House or either House of the Legislature of the State including the preparation of electoral rolls and all other matters necess-ary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses subject to the provisions of the Constitution and in so far as provision in that behalf contd, — 3 8 is not made by Parliament. — • • In exercise of the power conferred by Article 327 of the Constitution Parliament has enacted the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) (hereinafter referred to as ! the Act 1 ) providing for the conduct of elections to the Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the Legislature of each State, the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those Houses, the corrupt practices and other offences at,or in connection with such elections and the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with such elactions. Section 169 of the Act empowers the Central Government to promulgate rules, after consultation with the Commission, for carrying out the purposes of the Act. In exercise of the said pouer the Central Government has promulgated the Bonduct of 1961(hereinafter referred to us the rules) Rules Elections Rules^_5 and 10 of the Rules which are material for purposes of this case read thus: "5,Symbols for elections in parliamentary and assembly constituencies - (i) The .• Election Commission shall, by .notification in the Gazotte. of India, and in the Official Gazette of•each State, specify the symbols that may be chosen by candidates at elections contd ' - 39 in Parliamentary or assembly constituencies and the r e s t r i c t i o n s to uhich their choice s h a l l be subject'. (2) Subject to any general or special direction issued by the Election Commission either under sub-rule (4) or sub-rule (5) of rule 10, where at any such a lection, more nomination papers than one are de livered • by. or on behalf of a candidate, the declaration as to symbols made in the nomination paper first delivered, and no other declaration as to symbols shall be taken into consideration under rule 10 even if that nomination paper has been rejected. 10. Preparation of list of contesting candidates - ..,,„............, (4) At an election in a parliamentary or assembly constituency, where a poll becomes necessary, the returning officer shall consider the choice of symbols expressed by the contesting candidates in their nomination papers and shall, subject to any general or special direction issued in this behalf by the Election Commission (a) allot a different symbol to each contesting candidate in conformity, as far as practicable, with his choice; and (b) if more contesting candidates than one have indicated their preference for the same symbol, decide by lot to which of such candidates the symbol will be allotted, (5) The' a'llotme nt by the returning officer of any symbol to a candidate shall be final except where it is inconsistent with any directions issued by the Election Commission in this behalf in which case the Election Commission may revise the allotment in such manner as it thinks fit. (6) Every candidate or h;s election anent shall forthwith be informed of the symbol allotted contd, - 40 - to the "candidate and be supplied u i t h a specimen thereof by the returning . off icer. < ! Sub-rule (1-) of rule 5 of the Rules empouers the Commission to specify by a n o t i f i c a t i o n of .« , i n the Gazette India and i n the O f f i c i a l Gazette of each State, the symbols that may be chosen by•candidate at elections Parliamentary or assembly constituencies and the to which t h e i r choice s h a l l be subject. in • festrictioi Sub-rule (4) of rule 10 of the Rijles provides that at an election i n a parliamentary or assembly constituency, becomes necessary, the returning the choice in their officer nomination papers and s h a l l subject to any general a different i n conformity, and i f their behalf by the Commissior symbol to each contesting candidate as far as practicable, u i t h . h i s choice more contesting candidates than one have indicated preference for the same symbol, decide by l o t which of such candidates the symbol w i l l Sub-rule (5) allotment of rule by returning o f f i c e r directions thinks f i t . the of any symbol to a candidate is inconsistent with any ' issued by the- Commission i n t h i s case the Commission may revise to be a l l o t t e d . 10 of the Pules provides that s h a l l be f i n a l except where i t as i t s h a l l consider ' of symbols expressed by the contesting candidates or special d i r e c t i o n issued., i n t h i s allot where a p o l l the allotment Under sub-rule, (s) behalf in>which' i n such manner, of rule 10 of the Rule contd, - 41 Gvery candidate or his election agent should be informed forthwith t he symbol allotted to the candidate and is entitled to be supplied with a specimen thereof. Purporting to exercise its power under Article 224 of the.1 Constitution read uith rule 5 and rule 10 of the Rules, the Commission issued the Symbols Qrdar in the year 1968 which is impugned in this petition. The Preamble to the Symbols Order reads thus: "S.0.2959 dated 31st August, 1968 - Uhsroas the superintendence, direction and control of all elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of evary State are vested by the Constitution of India in the Election Commission of India; And, whereas, it is necessary and o/podient to provide in the' interests of purity .of election to the House of the People and the Legislative Assembly of every State and' in the interests of the conduct of such Ejections in a fair and efficient manner, for tho specification, reservations choice and allotment of symbols, for the recognition of political parties in relation thereto and for matters connected therewith. Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution, read with rule 5 and rule 10 of the Conduct of Elections.; 'Rules,, 1961, and all other powers enabling it in this behalf, the Election Commission of India hereby makes the following Order......." The expression 'political party* is defined in Paragraph 2(1")(4) of the.Symbols Order thus: !? 2.(i)(h) - 'Political Party' moans an association or body of individual citizens of India registered with the Commission as a political party undor paragraph 3 and includes a political party defamed . to be registered with the Commission under the proviso of sub-paragraph (2) of that paraqraoh;H contd...... - 42 - Paragraph 3 of t he Symbols Order provides that any association or body oF i n d i v i d u a l citizons calling i t s e l f itself a political of the provisions (2), its (3) and (4) of paragraph 3 of . the manner i n which such should be made by associations c a l l i n g themselves as p o l i t i c a l u i t h the Commission. registration purposes of the Symbols the Symbols Order provide for applications avail of the Symbols Order s h a l l _ as a p o l i t i c a l party for the Sub-paragraphs India party and intending to make an application to the Commission for Order. of parties for and bodies registration That paragraph empowers the Commission to consider a l l relevant particulars and t o decide whether the association or body should be registered as a p o l i t i c a l party or not and i t s regard is stated to be f i n a l . Order provides that decision i n that Paragraph 4 of thp Symbols i n every contested election a symbol s h a l l be a l l o t t e d to a contesting candidate i n accordance with the provisions of the Symbols Order and different , symbols s h a l l be a l l o t t e d to different contesting at an election" i n the same constituency. candidates The symbols specified by tho Commission are c l a s s i f i e d into two categories by paragraph 5 of the Symbols Order, They fiontd..... - 43 aro cither reserved or free, A rcservod symbol is a symbol which is reserved for a recognised political party for exclusive allotment to contesting candidates sot up by that party, A'free symbol is a symbol other than a reserved symbol. Paragraph 6 of.the Symbols Order provides for the classification of the political parties into recognised political parties and unrecognised political parties. Amongst the recognised political parties according to the Symbols Order thorn are two categories, 'namely, national parties and the Eta to parties. The Symbols Ordor further provides for the determination of the question whether a candidate has boon sot up by a political party or not. It deals uith the poucr of the Commission to issue instructions to unrecognised political parties for their expeditious recognition on fulfilment of conditions specified in paragraph 6, The pouor of the Commission in relation to splinter grouDS or rival sections of a recognised political party and its pouor in case of amalgamation of tuo or more political parties aro dealt uith in paragraphs' 15 and 1 6 of the Symbols Order. Under paragraph 17 of the Symbols Ordor the Commission is required to publish by one or more notifications in the i Gazette of India lists specifying and the symbols r e s p e c t i v e l y the national reserved f o r parties .them, the contd,.. State parties, tho State or States in which they arc State parties and the symbols ""res pootivo ly reserved for in such Stato or S t a t e s , the unrecognised p o l i t i c a l and the State free or -States in uhich they function symbols for each S t a t e . Every such l i s t to be kept up-to-date, as far as possible. thorn parties and the is required Uncur paragraph 18 of the Symbols Order the Commission has reserved to itself for the power to issue instructions the c l a r i f i c a t i o n Symbols Order, far arise directions of any of the provisions of tho the removal of any d i f f i c u l t y uhich may in relation to tho implomontation of any such provisions and In relation •to and to ony'mattc.r uith the reservation and allotment of p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s , respect of symbols and recognition for uhich the no provision or makes Insufficient Symbols Order makes provision end provision is in the opinion of the Commission necessary for the smooth and orderly conduct -of e l e c t i o n s . The petitioner claims to be a convernar of a social organisation named. "SA PPYA" situated at 67/68, Doulat Ganj, Kanpur (b*P-«) uhich is stated to have boon established for tho purposes of propagating acquainting by i t . 'National•truth' and for the people of India about the deals cherished The petitioner is aggrieved by the emergence of a large number of: p o l i t i c a l > parties at the" national .' level, ' ' contd,,.. and at the State\level uhich according to him has prejudicod seriously the idaals of a democratic country, / He has referred in the cgurso of the petition to the tf&rious acts committed by tho several political parties Uhich according to him are highly detrimental'to the interests of the country. Ho contends that tho emergence of these political parties is due to the provisions contained in the Symbols Order uhich pros/ides for tine registration, of political parties, reservation and allotment of symbols, in favour of various political parties. It is contended by the petitioner that the .Symbols Order is lia'blo to bo struck doUn on the ground thet the Commission is not ompouerod to issue it cither under tho Constitution or the Act and the Rules made thoreun'der. It is his contention that there is no pr-ovision, constitutional or. logal, uhich justifies the recognition of political parties for purposes of elections, the constitutional scheme uith regard to the holding of the elections to Parliament" and the State Legislatures is quite clear. First, the Constitution has provided for the establishment pf a high pouor body to be incharge of I the elections to Parliament and tho State Legislatures and of olections to the offices President, of President and That body is tho Commission, Vice-* Article.324 of contd,•,,, - 46 ~ the Constitution contains detailed provisions regarding the • constitution of the Commission and its general powers. ..• The Commission consists of the Chief Election Commissioner who is appointed by the President and it. may also consist such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time .fix, uho are also to be appointed by tho President. Uhen Election CommissionGrs arc appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner becomes tho Chairman of "the Commission. There is provision for tho appointment of Regional CommissionGrs to assist tho iCommission. In orator to., ensure the independence and impartiality of the Commission, it is provided that tho Chief Election Commissioner' shall not bo removed from, his office except in like manner "and on tho like grounds as a;/ Dudge of the Supremo Court of .India and that tho conditions of service of the Chief Election Commissioner shall not bo varied to his disadvantage- after his appointment. An Election Commissioner or a Regional Commissioner cannot be removed from office excopfc on the rocommondation of the Chief Election Commissioner, Tho superintendence, direction and control., of tho conduct of elections referred to in Article. *324(1) of the Constitution are entrusted to the •'. Commission.- The words 'superintendence', 'direction' and 'control' are wide enough to include all powers - contd..... ^ . - 47 - nacossary fir tha smooth conduct of elections. It i s , houotfer, scop, that Parliament has beon vested with tho ppuer to ma!<o lau under Article 327 of the Constitution read with Entry 72 of List I of tho Seventh Schedule to tho Constitution yith respect to a l l matters relating to the elections to oithor House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State subject to tho provisions of tho Constitution. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution and any law made in that boha'lf by Parliament, the Legislature of a State may undor Article 328 read with Entry 37 of List II of the Sovonth Schedule to the Constitution make lau relating to tho elections to the House or Houses of Legislature of that. State. Tho general powers of suporintcndonco, direction and control of the elections vested in the Commissi.on under Article 324(i) are subject to any lau made, either under Article 327 or undor Article'328 of tho Constitution, 'election' naturally The word in Article 324 is used in a wide sense so as to include tho entire process of election which consists of several stages and i t embraces many steps, some of uhich may have fen important bearing on the result contd,... - 48 of the process. India is a country uhich consists of millions of voters. Although they arc quite conscious of thoir duties politically, unfortunately, a largo percentage, of thorn ore still illiterate, Honco there is need for using symbols to donoto tho candidates uho contest elections so that the illiterate voter may cast • his vote in secrecy in favour of the candidate of his choico by identifying him with tho help of the symbol printed on tho ballot paper against his name. It is true* that till recently tho Constitution did not expressly refer to tho existence of political parties. But their existence is implicit in the nature of democratic form of Government uhich our country has adopted. "The use of a symbol, be it a donkey or an elephant, does give rise to an unifying effect amongst the people uith a common political and economic programme and ultimately helps in tho establishment of a Westminster typo of democracy uhi uo have adopted uith a Cabinet responsible to the elected coprosontativos of the people uho constitute tho Louer House, Tho political parties have to bo thoro if tho present system of Government should succoorf and the chasm dividing the / political partins should be so profound that a change of administration uould in fact be a contd.... - 49 revolution disguised under a constitutional procedure. It is no doubt a paradox that while tho country as a uholo yields to no other in its corporate^sense of unity and continuity, the working parts of its political system are so organised on party basis'v in other words, "on systematized differences and unresolved conflicts!1 That is the essence of our system and it facilitates tho sotting up of a .'Government- by tho majority. Although till recently tho Constitution had not expressly referred to:tho existence of political parties, by the amendments made. to it by the -Constitution (Fifty-Second Amendment) Act, 1985 there is now a clear recognition of the political parties by the Constitution* The Tenth Schedulo to the Constitution which is added by tho above Amending Act acknowledges the existence of political parties and sots out tho circumstancos when a member of Parliament or df the State Legislature would be deemed to have dofoctad from his political party and would thereby be disqualified for being a member of tho House co nccrnnd. Hence it is difficult to say that the ..reference to recognition, registration etc, of political parties by the Symbols Order .is unauthorised and against the political system adopted by our country, «i • contd,.,., - 50 Paragraph 15 of tho Symbols Orclor which dealt u i t h the pouor of tho Commission-in r e l a t i o n groups or r i v a l sections of a recognised party to s p l i n t e r political came up for consideration before t h i s Court in Sadiq'Ali & Anr. e t c . Us. Election Commission.^of 1. . & Ors. otis. India The Court observed in t h a t case at pages 341-243 t h u s : " I t would follow from what has boon discussed earlier in this judgment that the Symbols Order makes detailed provisions for the reservation, choice and allotment of symbols and the recognition of p o l i t i c a l parties in connection therewith. That the Commission should specify symbols for elections in parliamentary and assembly constituencies has also been made obligatory by rule 5 of Conduct of Election R ules. Sub-rulo (4) of rule 10 gives a pouor to the Commission to issue general or special directions to the Returning Officers in respect of the allotment of symbols. Tho allotment of, symbols by the Returning Officers has to be in accordance with those directions. ; Sub-rule (5) of rule 10 gives oouer to the Commission to revise the allotment of • a symbol by the Returning Officers in so far as the said allotment is inconsistent uith the directions issued by the Commission. It uould, therefore, follou that Commission has been clothed uith plenary powers by the above-mentioned Rules in the matter of allotment of symbols. The validity of the said Rjles has not been challenged before us, If the Commission is not to be disabled .from exercising effectively tho plenary powers vested.in i t in tho matter of allotment of symbols and for issuing directions- 1. 1972 ( 2 ) S . C . R . 318 ] - 51 i n connection therewith, i t i s plainly essential that the Commission should have the pouer to settle a dispute i n case claim for the allotment of the symbol of a p o l i t i c a l party is made by two r i v a l claimants. In case, i t is a dispute' between two i n d i v i d u a l s , the method" for the settlement, of that dispute is provided by paragraph 13 of the Symbols Order. I f on the other hariri, a dispute arises *f or allotment between two r i v a l groups/pr of esses to be that of symbol party, the machinery and the manner of of a resolving such a dispute is given i n political paragraph 15. Paragraph 15 is intended to party or effectuate and subserve the main purposes to be and objects of the Symbols Order, The ground that each paragraph is designed to ensure that because group of a dispute having.arisen i n a p o l i t i c a l party botween two or more groups^ the entire scheme of the Symbols Order r e l a t i n g to the.allotmont of a symbol reserved for the p o l i t i c a l party is not test at naught. The fact that the power for the settlement of such a dispute has been vested in the Commission would not constitute a valid ground for assailing the vires of and s t r i k i n g down paragraph 15. The Commission i s an authority created by the Constitution and according to Article 324, the superintendence, direction and control of the e l e c t o r a l rolfes for and the conduct of elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of every State and of elections to the offices of President, and Uice-President s h a l l be vested in the Commission. The fact that the power of resolving a dispute between two r i v a l groups for allotment of symbol of a p o l i t i c a l party has been vested i n such a high authority.wouId raise a presumption, though rebuttable, and provide a guarantee, though not absolute but to a considerable extent, that the power would.not be misused but would be exercised i n a f a i r and reasonable manner. contd, - 52 There is also no substance in the contention that as power to make provisions in respect to elections has been, given to the Parliament by Article 327 of the Constitution,'the power cannot be further delegated to the Commission. The opening • words of Article 327 are 'subject to the provisions of this Constitution', The . above words indicate that any lau made by the Parliament in exorcise of powers conferred by Article 327 would be subject to the other provisions of the Constitution including Article 3'24. Article 324 as mentioned above provides that superintendence, direction and control of elections shall be vested in Election Commission. It, therefore, cannot be said that when the Commission issued direction, it does so not on its own behalf but as the delegate of some, other authority. It may also be mentioned in this context that when the Central Governemtn issued Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 in exercise of its powers under section 169 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, it did so as required by that section after consultation with the Commission." The above decision upholds the power of the Commission to recognise political parties and to decide disputes arising amongst them or between splinter groups within a political party. It also upholds the power of the .Commission to issue the Symbols Order. has further observed that The Court ' it could not be said that w hen the Commission issued the Symbols Order it was not doing so on its own behalf but as the delegate of some other authority. The power to issue the Symbols Order was held contd.•,.. . . • - 53 - to be comprehended in the • power of superintendence, direction vested i n and c o n t r o l of elections the Commissi on. Over-ruling validity the objection raised as to the of the Symbols Order on the ground that was l e g i s l a t i v e i n .character power to issue i t it and the Commission had.no i n the absence of antrustment of the power to make a law i n r e l a t i o n to e l e c t i o n s , Court o b s e r v e d i n A l l P a r t y H i l l L e a d e r s Shillong '• .. "~ V/s. C a p t a i n 408 t h u s ; 1 Conference : ~ ' 27" M.A. Sangma L O r s , a t page i! It is not necessary in this appeal to deal with the question whether the Symbols Order made by the Commission is a piece of legislative activity. It is enough to hold, which we do, that the Commission is empowered in its own right under Article 324 of the Constitution and also under rules 5 and 10 of the Rules to make direct!ons^in-genera 1 in widest terms necessary and also in specific cases in order to facilitate a free and fair election with promptitude. It is, therefore, legitimate on the port of the Commission to make general provisions even in anticipation or in the light of experience in respect of matters relating to symbols. That would also inevitably- require it to regulate its own procedure in dealing with disputes regarding choice of symbols whan raisad before it. Further that would also sometimes inevitably lead to adjudication of , disputes with regard to recognition of parties or rival claims to a particular 2. (197B) 1 5.C.R. 393. this - 54 symbol. The Symbols Order is, therefore, a compendium of directions in the shape of general provisions to meet various kinds of situations appertaining to elections with particular reference to symbols. The power to make these directions, whether it is a legislative activity or not, flows from Article 324 as well as from rules 5 and 10, It was held in Sadiq A li (Supra) that 'if the Commission is not to be disabled from exercising effectively the plenary powers vested in it in the matter of allotment of symbol and for issuing directions' in connection therewith, it is plainly essential that the Commission should have - the • power ' to settle a dispute in case claim for the allotment of the symbol of a political party is made by two rival claimants'. It has been held in Sadiq Ali ( Supra) that the Commission has been clothed with plenary powers by rule 5 and ' sub-rules (4) and (5) of rule 10 of the Rules in the matter of allotment of symbols."' •3. In Roop Lai Sathi vs. Nachhattar Singh the same view is reiterated. The Court observed in this case st page 719 as. follows! "The Symbols Order made by the Election Commission in exercise of its power under Article -324 of the Constitution read with rules 5 and 10 of tlo Conduct of Elections Rules and aJl other powers enabling it in that behalf,- are in the nature of general directions issued by the Election Commission to regulate the mode of allotment of symbols to the contesting candidates. It is a matter of common knowledge that elections in our country are fought on tha basis of symbols,, It must but logically follow as a necessary corollary 'that the Symbols Order is an order made under the Act. Any 3. (1983) 1 5.C.R. 702. other .view uould be destructive of the very fabric of our system of holding parliamentary and assembly -constituency elections in the country on the basis of adult suffrage.c' Even if for anyr eason, it is hsId that any of the provisions contained, in the- Symbols Order are not traceable to the Act or the Rjles, the power of the Commission under Article 324(l) of the- Constitution which is plenary in character can encompass all such provisions, Article 324 of the Constitution operates in areas left unoccupied by legislation and the words 'superintendence', 'direction' and 'control1 as well as 'conduct of all elections' are the broadest terms, which would include the power to make all such provisions. .(. ee i^ohinder Singh Gill & Apr. v. The Chief Election Commissioner, New Delhi & Ors" and A.C.JOSG V. Sivan Pillai & Ors.) Ue do not also find any substance in the contention that the Central Government which had been delegated the power to make rules under section 169 of the Act could not further delegate the power to moke any subordinate. legislation in the form of the Symbols Order to the i Commission, without itself being empowered by the Act to make such further delegation. 4. ,(1978) 2 S..C.R. 27?. 5. (1984) 3 S.C.R. 74. Any part of the ' - 56 -• . Symbols Order uhich cannot be traced to rules 5 and 10. of the Rules can easily be -traced in this case to the reservoir of. power under Article 324(1) uhich empowers the Commission to issue all directions necessary for the purpose of conducting smooth, free and fair elections Our attention, is not draun by the learned counsel for the petitioner to any specific provision in the Symbols Order uhich cannot be brought uithin the scope of either rule 5 or rule 10 of the- Rules or Article 324 (i) of the Constitution and uhich is hit by the principle deloqatus nqn • potest deleoare, i.e. a delegate cannot delegate, the Commission itself in this case being |a donee of olenary powers under Article 324(i) of the Constitution in connection -with the conduct of. elections referred to therein subject of course to any legislation made -under Article 327 and Article 328 of the Constitution read with Entry 72 in List I or Entry 37 in List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution and the rules mode thereunder. ^ While construing the expression 'superintendence, direction and control1 in Article 324(l), one has to remember that, every norm uhich lays down a rule of conduct cannot possibl be elevated to the position of legislation or delegated legislation. There are some authorities or persons in . contd.... - 57 certain grey-nrpas uho may be sources of rules of conduct and uho at the same time cannot be equated to authorities or persons uho can make law, in the strict sense in which it is understood in jurisprudence. A direction may mean an "order issued to a particular individual or a precept uhich many nay have tn follow. general order. It may be a specific or a One has also to remember that the source of power in this case is the Constitution, the highest law i of the land, which is the repository and source of all legal powers and any power granted by the Constitution for a specific purpose should be construed liberally so • that the object for which the power is granted is effectively achieved. Viewed from this angle it cannot be said that any of the provisions of the Symbols Order suffers from want of authority on the part of the Commission, which has issued it, we are not satisfied with the submission that the severa 1, evi Is, malpractices etc, which are alleged to be existing amongst the political parties today are due to the Symbols Order which recognises political parties and provides for their registration etc. The reasons for the existence of such evils, malpractices etc. are to be found elsewhere. The surer ramedy for getting - 58 ~ rid of those evils, malpractices etc, is to appeal to the conscisnce of the rmtion. We cannot, however, set aside the Symbols Order on the grounds alleged in the petition. Us dismiss the oetition accordingly. Neu D e l h i : . September 24, 1985. • Sd/.3. CE..S. Wonka tammiah) S d/~ (R.B.riisra) 3. CHAPTER - III CASES OF DISQUALIFICMTIONS During the month of October '85, 143 persons uere disqualified under section IDA of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 for their failure to lodge their accounts of election expenses, as required under section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 within the time and/or in' the manner required by law. The names and addresses of these persons are appended.* - 60 - NaiTis °,a nd .^addj^ess_ J3_f_ j,he__per_so nsd isqua^lj...fi.ed_ iTn'd er 'sec11 on* .To/T of the R e p f e s e n t a t i q n o f the People"" A c t , T^51 . S.No. and Name of constituency, ..GUJARAT Name and address of Date o f disqual i fication. the person disqualified, HOUSE OF THE PEOPLE. 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 Shri Rathua l/alubhai Karsanbhai, 7.10.85 7.10.88 1, 13-Patan(SC ),.r Shri Solanki nafobhai Haghabhai, /it & Post O f f i c e l / i r t a , Taluka" Charaama, D i s t t . fiehsa na, Gu j ar a t , 2. 21-ChhotaUdaipur(ST) Shri Rathua Karsanbhai Bodabhai, At 3amba,Ppst Athaldungri,Taluka Chhotaudepur, Distt.Baroda, Gujarat. 3. 21^-Chhota Udaipur(ST) Date on .uhich disqualification shall stand feme <z Podhra,Taluka Jetpur Pari,Distt.Baroda, Gujarat. 4 . 21-Chhota ' Udaipur(ST) Shri l/asava Kalubhai Mohanbhai, 7.10.85* At Puniad,P,0,Nana, Foflia,Tal.Dabhoi, District Gujarat. Baroda, Contd... 7.10.88 - 61 "3 1 GUJARA-T(Contd.) 5» 21-ChhotaUdaipur(ST) 6. 22-Earoda Shri Uasaua Navinbhai , , . Himatbhai, . 7.-10.85 At & Post Office ' : . Chhatval,Ta, ., Qabhoi, District Baroda, Gujarat. Shri Pandya Kiran Balkrushna, Block 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.88 No. AyiNaroli, Sugar Factory, ' Kalyan Nagar, [Ylaroli, D i s t r i n t Valsad, Gujarat, KHRNATAKA 1. 12-Bangalore North S h r i K h a l i d Nishu, 7.10.85. 48-H,Charles, C ha mp ba t ll' fioad , Cox'Toun, Bangalore 5, Karnataka, 7.10.88 2. 12-Bangalore North ... •Shri B..Jayaram, 7.10.85 No.44/1,D.I I Street, 7 0th Division, Shivajinagar, GangalorG-51, Karnataka. 7.10.88 3. 12-Bangalore :North Shri H.h.Siddalingachar Siddalingachar, _ 7.10.85 Uenkatala l/illage, "~ Uenkatagirikote Post, Devanahalli Taluk, District Bangalore, Karnataka. 4» 1 5-Chamara j a nagar (SC ) Shri B.'M. Lingappa, Np. 24, Gayathripuram, IT Stage,Nazarbad Mohalla,Mysore District,Karnataka. 7v10.85 7.10.88 7.10.88 - 62 - ZZ ~ I2- _I.. Z Z Z Z _3_ 1 1 1 _ 1 1 1111111 5. 15-ChamarajaNagar(SC) Shri.G.Devanna, President, S e r i c u l t u r a l Labour •• Union, M a b a l l i , -Yelandur Taluk, Mysore D i s t r i c t , Karnataka. - 6. 20-Chipkmagalur ,-'• KERALA 1. . 7.10.85 7.10*88 S h r i .H.Govinda Prabhu , 7 .1 0. 85 S/o Dana Prabhu, Hotel Taj Hahal, Market Road, Karnataka. 7.10.88 Shri C'.V.Siuaprasad, 7.10.85 Pcllayil House, S.'MC. 24, Shorthalal P.O., Alleppey, Kerala.' 7.10.88 , 11-Ernakulam 2.- 1 2 - M u v a t t u p u z h a WAHARMSHTKA S h r i B a b y Uarghese, Avarapattu, .Thattekkad P.O. , K othamangalam, Ernakulam D i s t r i c t , Kerala. • 1-. 22-Bamtek 7.10.85 7.10.88 . ' •• •.:••': Shri Arvind Alias Babas.aheb Tarskar, House No. 34 3, 7.10.85 7.10.88 Koshtipura, Sitabuldi,Nagpur, Maharashtra. 2. 22-Ramtek , Shri Dhrunao Uasucleorao Dhandar, • 7.10.85 ./•it Jauaradi,Post Bhugaon,Tah.Achalpur, O i s t t . Amrauati, Maharashtra. * Contd.. . 7.10.88 MAHARASHTRA(Contd.) 3. 22-Ramtek 4. 22-Ramtek '• S h r i Shrote N.H. • House No. 242/2, Uard No.28,uhudhuar Bajar,Ghatate Chal, Mahal' Nag p u r , Maharashtra. • 7.10.85 S h r i Paunikar pandurang Pundalik,. 7.10.85 A t - I t u a r i Peth, Umred,Post T a h s i l Umred, Maha-rashtra. 5. 6. 7. 8. 23-Nagpur 23-Nagpur 23-Nagpur 23-Nagpur S h r i Agne B.alasaheb Narayanra.o, 7.10.85 P l o t No.12, Hanumannagar Mohta Science Road,Nag pur, Maharashtra* S h r i Aruind Pasusa Doharapurkar, 7.10.85 57,-Nandanuan Colony, Nagpur-440009, ^ Maharashtra. S h r i .Purohit Mahesh Sitaram, Garud Khamb Road, 'LJard No.29, Nagpur , Maharashtra, 23-Nagpur 7.10.88 7.10.88 7.10.88 7.10.88 Shri 'Masurkar liitthalrao Rambhauji, Juni Mangaluari, j a i s a o Road, Chandrashekhar Azad Chouk,Nagpur, Maharashtra. 9, 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 Shri R a hul Dayalrao Ramteke, 7.10.85 Siddharthnagar Post, Dr. Ambedkar Marg, P i u a l i Nadi^Nagpur, Maharashtra. 7.10.88 7.10.88 - 64 - 1 1 1 1 -• 1 1 1 " 1 1 Z'Z Z 2 I Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z 3 Z MAHARASHTRA ( C o n t d . ) 1.0,. ,23-Nagp.ur . 4 - '•• Shr.i .Shrote Natthu 7.10.85 Hushari, House No,. 242/2,U a rd No.28, •7.1 Q.8 8 Mahal,.Nag pur-, Maharashtra. 11. 23-Nagpur 12. .23-Nagpur Shri Sirajuddin Sahabuddin, . P/23, Ambedkar Road, Nagpur-1 7, .: . . Maharashtra. . 7.10.85. Shri Haribhau Shamrao Tabhane, • 7.10.85 Gopalnagar Karim Layout, Nag pur, Maharashtra, 7.10.88 5.1 0.88 ORISSrt' 1. 1-Mayurbhanj • (ST) • Shri Raghunath Tudu, Will. Jamudihi, P.O. Basilapir, ' 9.10.85 9,10'.B8 Shri Rasanahda, Uill. (vla.nthan,P.O. Indalo(Chhakana)i, P.S .Kendrapara, District Cuttack,' Orissa. 9.10.85 9.10.88 Shri Abdul Karim, Mohalla- V/yapariyan, Ward iMo.1 , Losal, Tehail Dantaramgarh, Distt. Sikar, ' Rajasthan. 7.10.85 7.10.88 Distt.Mayurbhanj, Orissa.' 2. 5-Kgndrapara RAJA5THAN 1. 5-Sikar 2. 5-Sikar Shri Ashuani Kumar, 7.10.85 C/o Agro Engineers and Traders, 2 906,Abohar,Punjab. ; ' 7.10.88 - 65 2 RaJASTHAW 3. 5-Sikar Shri Gebind Ram, 7.10.85 S/o Shri Kistur Chand . Oyadiya, Srimadhopur,Rajasthan. •• .7,10.88 • 4. 5-Sikar Shri Phool Chand Meena,7.10.85 Village Chokari, Tehsil Srimadhopur, District Sikar, Rajasthan. b. 5-Sikar Shri Sh.ivnaran, LJa'rd IM6. 10,Sikar, Rajasthan. 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 9.10.85 9.10.88 S h r i Tapan Bisuas, 9.10.85 162/6/356(162/205), Prince Anwar Shah Road, Lake Garden, Calcutta-45. 9.10.88 UE5T BENGAL 1. 3-Oalpaiguri 2. 3-3alpaiguri 3. 10~Berhampore S h r i S i t a n s u Bhusan Oas, Principal's Quarter, P.O. Siliguri, District Darjeeling, West Bengal. S h r i Abdul Baten G a l a l , , 9.10.35 U i l l . Kachutia,P.O. Kachutia, D i s t t . . Burdwan,Uest Bengal, 9.10,88 .. . 4. 12-Nabaduip(SC). Shri'Bhabesh Dhara, 9.10.85 P.O. & U i l l . Baganchra, Q i s t t . Nadia, ' Uest Bengal, 9.1U.88 .5. 12-Nabaduip(SC).Shri Hadhu Sudan Bala, 9.1 0.85 U i l l . Daykrishnapur, (Sing ha ba j a n ) P.O. Chakdaha, D i s t t . Nadia, West Eengal. 9.10.88 UEST BENGAL(Contd.) . 6* 21-Calcutta ; S h r i Binoy S i r e a r , North-West 13T n, Bidham S a r a n i , CaIcutta'-4. 1. 38-Hsansal 8. 38— iisansol .GOA, DANAN & DIU 15 15-Ponda 9.10.85 9.10.88 9.10.85 9.10*88 Shri Fianik B o u f i , J.10.85 PoO. & I / i l l . R a t i b a t i , D i s t t . Burdauan,, , Ben§al. 9.10.88 S h r i Gopal Krishna oharma, Kendua Bazar, P.O. K u l t i , ,3lstt« Guroluan,Uest Bengal, LEGI3UTIUE • ASSEMBLIES Shri Fonseca A athamy Joseph, Tisk(Sadar Goa, 2. 15-Ponda 3. 19—Canacona 4. 5, 20-Quepem 2 0-Quepsm ' Ponda- Shri Kelskar•. Devendranath ft, P.O. Mardol, Pond'a-Goac Shri Besai Prakash Shamba, Ponsulem Canacona, Goa. S h r i ridel V/ithaba Nagu, "Modd Cacora-Goa, S h r i Gaunso Dessai Manohar "Uitoba, H.No..444-l,rt-3ldafn, (Qamodar)Quepam—Goa. 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 • 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 - 65 - 3. 5-Sikar Shri Gobind Ram, 7.10..85 S/o Shri Kistur Chand 3yadiya, Srimadhopur,Rajasthan. 7.10.88 4. 5-Sikar Shri Phcol Chand Meena, 7 .1 0. 85 Village Chokari, 'Tehsil Srimadhopur, District Sikar, Rajasthan. 7.10.88. # 5—Sikar Shri Shivnaran, Uafd 'No,. '1 0,Sikar, Rajasthan. 7.10.85 7.10.88 9.10.85 9.10.88 UE5T BENGAL 1. 3-3alpaiguri Shri Sitansu Bhusan Principal's Quarter, P.O. S i l i g u r i , D i s t r i c t Qarjeeling, .. ..:- V e s t • B e n g a l . * 2 r 3-3alpaiguri Shri Tapan Biswas, '• * " 162/6/356(162/205), .. 9.10.85 • -••-•'- 9.10.88 Prinoe Anuar Shah Road, Lake Garden, Calcutta-45. 3 . -1 0—Berhampers' S h r i Abdul. Baten 3-alal, 9.10.35 d 9 I / i l l . Kachutia,P.O. Kachutia,Distt. B u rdua'n,Uest Bengal 4. ^2-IMabaduip(sc) Shfi Bhabesh Qhara, ' 5. 9.10.85 9.10.88 9.10.88 P.O. & I / i l l . Baganchra, D i s t t . Nadia, West Bengal, 12-Nabaduip(SC)Shri Madhu Sudan Bala, 9.1 0.85 . U i l l , 3aykrishnapur, (Singhaba j a n ) P.O. * * Chakdaha, D i s t t . Nadia, ul e.s t Bengal. 9.10.88 - 66 - UCST BENGAL(Contd.) . 6 . 21-Calcutta North-West 7. 38-A S apspl Shri Binoy S i r e a r , 131 *., Bidham Sarani, Calcutta-4. 9.10.85 9.10.88 9.10,85 9.10.88 Shri Manik Bowri, J.10.85 •P.O. & I / i l l . R a t i b a t i , D i s t t . Burdauan, Bengal. 9.10.88 Shri-..; Gopal Krishna Sharma, Kendua Bazar, P.O. Kulti, ,0-istt. , Bengal 8. 38-.«isansol GOA, DAHAN & DIU • 15-15-Ponda LEGISLHTI\/E-ASSEMBLIES S h r i Fonseca Anthomy Oosap'h, Tisk(Sadar Goa. 2. 15-Ponda 3. 4. 5. 19-Canacona 2Lj-Quepem 20-Quepsm 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 Ponda- h i Kelskar . Devendranath R, i P.O. Mardol, ' Ponda-Goa, fl Shri Des'ai Prakash Shamba, Ponsulam Canacon-a, Goa. ' , S h r i Mdel Vithoba Nagu, - Fiodd Cacor.a-Goa. S h r i Gaunso Dessai f^anohar. l / i t o b a , H. No . 4 4 4 - 1 , Pialdem, (uamodar) QuepaiDr-Goa. - H I 67 - 2 .: GOA.D'AMAN & D I U ( C o n t d . ) 6. 2O-Quepem . 7, 21-CuncQlim 8. 2 8-Mar mug a o • 1—^bdasa 2. 3-Bhuj 3. 44-Uthi 4* 45-Amreli 5. 45-Amreli . Shri Mohamed Hakim • Y^suf, [)torailem Curchorem, . Goa. Shri Rebeilo Ferdino As s i s , • Villa Rebello, Buieca,Cuncolim. Shri Dias V i c t o r Claude, . • r l l t o Mangor ,\1 ascodaGama'(Goa) # • ": Shri Dayabha-i Koshra Patel, . Netr'a,Taluka, • Nakhtrana,Gujarat.: 3___ ..'. . 7.1 0.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.1 0.88 Shri Jusab Husain Sama (Vakil), 7.10.85 Camp near Jyesthanagar, Bhuj, Gujarat. -Shri aarjanbhai, Ingorala,(3agan), Tal. Lathi,Gujarat. Shri Kabariya Thakashibhai, IManjibhai, , Ksriya Road, Amreli,' Gujarat. Shri Khuman Tapubhai Patabhai, Hari Road,A Gujarat. 7.10.88. 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 - - 68 - GUJARAT(Contd.) 6. 47-Kodinar Shri Baradiya Somathai Kanubhai, 7.10.85 7.10.8 Bhangi Haryanuas,near Ajanta T a l k i s , A t K o d i n a r , G u j a r a t . •• 7. 47-Kodinar 8. 131-Nandiad Shri Ramanilakhubhai Mohanbhai, n't "Rabarika , Mahal Khamba,V'ia Oedan, Gujarat. • j 7.10.85 7.10.8E y . - Shri \linbdkumar Nanubhai' Hatal, Bhagat-ni-Khadki, 7.10.85 7.10.88 9. 133-anand Shri Patel Prafulbhai,7.10.85 Post O f f i c e 0 d e , T a l , anand,Gujarat. _ 7,10.88 10. 135-Petlad Shri Patel. Bharatkumar Ravjibhai, 7.10.85 l*loti Khadki,Nar Tal-Tetlad,Gujarat. Gujarat. 11. 138-Borsad S h r i Shah' R a me hand r a Ftemchhod'bhai, .'•it' & Post Napa, 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 Taluka'Borsas, Jistt. Kheda, Gujarat. 12. 141-ChhotaUdaipur (5T) Shri Uathaua • Ravindrabhai Nanaji, Near Post Office P.O. and Taluka «t - • Chhotaudepur, Dis^t. Laroda, Gujarat. 13. 145-Qabhoi Shri Patel Ehailalbhai Umeshabhai,7.1 0.85 74/12 3agabhaipark, L.G. Hospital Ftoad, Maninagar,Ahmedabad. 7.10.88 - 69 — IIIIIIZIIII21111111113" I I I JC I HR.if ( C a n t d . ) ; 14* 148-Sayajiganj Shri Saiyad . .. flahmadhusen Latifkhan, ' 7.10.85 • Yakutpura,Chodiualigali, 15. 16. 150-\/aghodia 150-\/aghoaia / 17. 18. 19. . 151-Baroda Rural 154-Jambusar 154-Jambusar 2 0. 160-Rajpipla 21. • 160-Rajpipla , • 7.10.88 t Shri .Chohan Magansingh Mohansingh, • 7.10.85 At'. & Post Kumetha, Taluka* Vaghpdia, u i s t t . Oaroda, Gujarat. . • 7.10.88 Shri Parmer Govindbhai . -" Ishuarbhai, 7.10.85 Ht Kashipura,Post Gutal, Taluka l/aghpdia, D i s t t . Baroda, •Gujarat, 7.10.88 Shri Oadav Hajsndrasingh Amarsinh, 7.10.85 Opp: F\ice P l i l l , Post UaQhodia,3istt. Baroda,Gujarat. 7.10.88 Shri Patel Ka-nubhai Shamalbhai, 7.10.85 .At & Post Karmad , ' • (Kaui L i n e ) , T a l . Ja'mbusar , Gujarat. Shri Selsr Jagannath hatanlal, 138/6, Laxrni K'unj Udhana,Oistt.Surat, Gujarat. 7.10.88 7.10,85 S h r i Tadui F<amchandra Padmakant, 7.10.85 .it Gobhana , P. 0.K a t h i , Tal.Nandod,Listt. Bharuch,Gu j a r a t . Shri 1/asava flanukhbhai Dhanjibhai 7.1*0.85 At 3unaraj,P.Q.Sada, Tal.Na'ndod, J i s t t . Bharuch,Gujarat, 7.10,88 7.10.88 . . . 7.10.88 - HIMHCHHL PRADESH 70 - • 1. 29-Gagret(SC) S h r i f»3m Chand, V i l l . . & P.O. ambota, LJist.t. Una, . Himaphal Pradesh. 2. 35-Gangath(SC ) S h r i ' Sorn R a j , V, & P.O. K a n d r o r i , Teh. f\lur.pur, J i s t t .Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. 7.10.85 7.10.86 7.10.85, 7.10.88 PIAHARriSHTftA 1. 66-Igatpuri(ST) Shri Chandra Chander bhau, 7.10,85 at Cbandrachimet, . Post L)Bogaon,Taluka Igatpuri,Maharashtra. •2. 67-Nashik 3. 67-Nashik 67-Nashik 67-Nashik '6. 67-Nashik Shri Kardak Uaman Tabaji, 7.10.85 Nagsenuadi,Uadala •Naka, Nashik, Maharashtra. S h r i Gaiku/ad Qnyaneshuas Anandrao, 7.10.85 3986, K a j i g a d i , N a s h i k , Maharashtra. S h r i Zunjar R h a s u j i , Avhad, Javery Bhavan,Block No. 9, Nashik Road, Maharashtra. : 7.10.85 ; 7.10.88 7.10.88 .7.10.88 7.10.88 . ' : Shri Thakur Ranasingh Suryanath, 7.10.85 Uasan nutomobile, Gite Mala, Nashik Maharashtra. S h r i Deshmukh Ranjan Narhar, 7.10.85 Indira Niuas,Opposite to .P.E.School,Nashik Road, Maharashtra. 7.10.88 7.10.88 71 - 7. 67-Nashik S h r i B-arve Bhaguian Nivruti, 1576, Somuar Peth, Nashik, 8. 67-Nashik 9. 68-Deolali Shri Sanap' l/ijay Bhaurao, 378, D&vghar Lane, F»auiuar Peth, Nashik, Maharashtra. Shri Ughada Balu Yadau, 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.85 7.10.88 Sinnar Fata,Nashik Road,Maharashtra. 10. 68-Deolali 11. 68-Deolali Shri Jagtap Madhukar Bhaguat, . 346, Suarbbha Nagar, Satpur,Nashik, Maharashtra.. S h r i Nikam Fiambhau Sarnpat, Popat Tapkir Chaul, Kasaruadi, Pune-34, Maharashtra. 12. 68-ueolali 13. 70-Niphacl 14. 70-Nipha Shri Bhalerao Nanasaheb Baburao, 7.10.85 Uasali,Post Trambak, l/idyamandir, Nashik, Maharashtra. Shri Doshi Prakaph \] yankatesh, 7.10.35 Type II, . Quarter No. 82, Township Ozar (MIG), Tal Niphad, Maharashtra; Shri Pomade.Eknath Ranganath, ' Pachore Khurd,Post Pach^re BK., Taluka Niphad,Maharashtra. 7.10.85^ 7.1 0.88 7.10.88 7.10,88 72 - T (Contu . ) 15. 70-Niphad Shri Takate Sampat 7.10.85 7.10.88 Shri pagare Pandurang Murlidhar, . 7.10.85 7.10.88 Karsu-1, Taluka Niphad, Maharashtra. 16. 7 0-Niphad Chandori,Taluka Maharashtra. 17. 71-Yecla Niphad, Shri Kadam Ghanudas Ramchandra, ,tt & P o s t - K a t a r n i , ' 7.10.85 - • 7.10.8'8 Taluka Yeola,Distt. • Mashik,Maharashtra. 18. 19. 71-Yeola 71-.Yeola Shri Lhavan Ratnakar Murlidhar, " 7.10.85 Ganesh Nagar,Satpur, Nashik-7,Maharashtra. Shri Deshmukh Uttamrao Eajirao,'.. 7.10.85 H.I\lc.34D1.,,it and Post Yeola,Taluka Maharashtra. 20. 71-Yeols ' 7.10.88 7.10.88 Yeola, Shri pawar uinkar Shankarrao, 7.10.85 7.10.88 At anal Post Lasalgaon, Taluka Niphad, Maharashtra, 21 , 71-Yeola 22. 71-Yeola Shri La hare Nivruti Mahadu, 7.10.85 H. No.2206, At and Post Yeola,Taluka Yeola, uistt. Nashik, Maharashtra. Shri Shour Subhash M u rlidhar, lit & Post Mukhed, l/ia-Vinchur, Taluka Y e c l a , J i s t t . Mashik, Maharashtra. 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10;88 - 73 I 23. 71-Yeola Shri Sonauane Kishore 7,10,85. Shiv/ram, 7.10.88 4550, vNagarpalika Hoad, Yepla,.uistt» Nashik, Maharashtra. 24. 72-Nandgaop • 2 5 * 72-Napidgaon 2i. 72-Nandgat)R 28. 181-Hingoli 7*1 0. 8 a.- Shri Shinde Laxman Qagadu, 7.10.85 Nandgaon,Taluka Nandgaon,Maharashtya. Shri Hiraman hajaram Mure, At &. Post Mehune, Taluka Malegaon, Uistt. Nashik, Maharashtra. 7.10.-88 7.10.84 '7.1Q-.88 T.10*85 7.10.80 Shri Mohamad Jahirulhasan Mohamad L a t i f o d d i n , 7.10,85 i.sharafpura, nrhalpur, . Maharashtra, 7.10.88 Shri Bagul Kashinaih Budha, ,\t Vadale(U.ani), Post Narul,Taluka Kalutan, Maharashtra. 27, 29. Shri. 'Ash0^ YadaTrao ._ Kasul, 7.10.85 Ehagatsing Haidan-, Manmad, Taluka Nandgaon, Uistt. Nashik, Maharashtra .... Shri Oebaje Pralhadrao No.1 CjTofkhana, HincJoli, Maharashtra. 7.10.85 ' 7.10.88 .Contd, 74 - KERALA 1 . 3-Udma 2. 3-jJdma .Shri G'.A'.Moideen Kunhi,-7.1 0 r 85 .Bandic'hal,p.0oThekkil,." \! i a Chang a l a , . Jistt. Kasarag'od, Kerala, ' ' Shri H.f'ioosa, S/Q i!'iahin, Eeciitharachal, Pallikare» I I , V i l l a g e , P.O. Eekal,Hosdurg Taluk, Kas'aragOti UistirctjKerala. ' 7.10.85 ' ? . 1 0 . 88 . 7.1 0.88 . ORISSA 1. 2, 11-Bhograi U-Bhadrak 3 . 20-uhamnagar 4. Shri Paresh Kumar Eosa, • " ' ' I/ill. u K P..0. Kakhada, I)ist-t,r Balasore, • Ofissa. '• Shri Banuarilal Gupta At' - C hand a n bazar , P.O. Bhadrak, Jistt» Qrissa. 9.10.85 ' 9.10.88 9.10,85 9.10.88 S h r i .\dikanda Pradhan, 9.1 0 . 85 9.10.88 At & P.O. A s u r a l i , . L>istt. -Balas-ore, • . • Orissa, 115-rtthamallik S h r i 3 a r j a n Meher, /it/P.O. Hthamallik, L. i s t t . uhenkanal, Qrissa.'. . 9.10,85 • . 5. 115-nthamallik Shri Harihar Patra, Uill. Barapali, P.O. Krutifcaspur, u'istt. uhenkanal, Orissa. 9.10.85 ' 9.10.88. .. "• 9,10,88 - 75 - I I Z Z I I I I I I I I I I I I ' I I I I I I3111-114I Z DhlSS.UContd. ) 6. H6-.-.ngul Shri B i h a r i Naik, n t / p . O . Turanga, L J i s t t . Jbenkanal, Orissa. 9.10.85 9.10.88 7. 116-Angul 9.10.85 9.10.88 . . . S h r i Harmohan Uesh, At/P.O. Tarasingha, ^ i s t t . Jhankanal, Orissa. S h r i Milu Pradhan, 9.10,85 9.10.88 8. 117-Hindol . \1 i l l . / P . O . Kadala, l/ia - ^ernmandali, u i s t t . Chenkanal, Orissa. 9. 118-Lhenkanal . ' . Shri ,irun Patnaik, ' 9.10.85 9.10.88 9.10.85 9.10.88 9.10.85 9.10.88 9.10.85 9.10.38 P.O. Gundichapada, ..i.jistt. Jhankanal, Orissa, 10. 1 2 O~Kamakhyanagar . Shri Bhimasen Dehury, M^-Karpagara, P . 0 . Rainrusinghapur, O i s t t . uhenka'nal, Orissa. 11. 120-Kamakhyanagar .' S h r i Ploharathi Naik, / , Kamakhynagar, , Jhenkanal, Orissa, 12» 120-Kamakhyanagar . S h r i Doginath N a i k , At/P»O...Kama-khynagar, D i s f t . Jhenkanal, Orissa. 13." 121-pallahara S h r i Banshidhar Sahu, 9.10.85 Mt-Gelheikateni, P.O. POandeilo, L-istt. Jhenkanal, Qrissa. . 9.10.88 - 76 - hi-\3aSTHM.iM 1. 51-Bandikui Shri Gopal Lai Khatik, 7-.10. 85 V. & P.O. Bandiyal . , Kalan,Tehsil 8asua, . j i s t t .3aipur , ha j a s t h a n . 2. 51-Bandikui S h r i Ram Swroop, tryzt, • inchiki ^hani Jagir Landikui, 3 ai pu r , ha j a s t h a n. 7.10.88 4.10.85 7.1D.88 3 . 17 0-3anchoTe Shri Kam Singh, I / i l l . & P. Golasan, Tehsil Sanchore, d i s t r i c t 3alore, ftajastharr. 7.1 0.35. 7.10,88 • 4. Shri J i l i p Chand, 117,3ang i p u r a , P a l i , MaruarjHajasthan. 7.1 0.85 7.10.88 5. 135—Sursagar Shri Bhanwar Lai, naota ' C Road, Outside Hemji-kaKatla, 3odhpur, F;a jasthan. 7.1 0.85 7.10.88 6. 111-Baran Shri Hem Haj Gupta, C/o Narendra ^an Dhandar, • Choumukha Dazar, Garan, 3 i s t t . Kota, Hajasthan. 7.10.85 7.10.88 7. 174-ahora Shri Hej Singh, U i l l . & -P.O. Sakar-na, Tehsil:ahore, ^istt.3alora, r<a jastha n. 7.10.85 7.10.88 Shri Nizamuddin, Chhatrion-ka-SamnQ, 'limber, J i s t t .Oaipur, Knjasthan. 7.10.85 7.10.88 1 85—Sursag ar i. 39-arnbef - 78 - I Z1ZI I Z I I I I I I I I I I Z Z I I Z Z3Z Z ZZZZ~ i _~ RAJMSTHAN{Cantd.) 9, 39-r.mber 10. Shri Ram Charan, ' 7.1 0.85 ,ijmer Road, in . front of Police Station,Sadala Footye Bag, Jaipur. 41-Haua Mahal S h r i Chandsr Mohan Sharma, 7.10.85 2772, Gagru U a l o n - k a h? : sta, J a i p u r . 1 1 . 41-Haua Mahal S h r i Rajendra Kumar, C-28, " A b h i l a s h a " , T i l a k Nagar,Jaipur. 'Rajasthan. 12. S h r i Satya Narain Kajaluala, 7.10.85' Fomesh Chandra H a l u a i , rianumanji-ka—Rasta, Choukri U i s h e s h u a r j i , D'aruajeman, J a i p u r . 13. 41-Haua Mahal 43-r-Kishanpole 7.10.85 S h r i Gulam Rasul Khan, 7.10.85 7.10.88 7.10.88 7.10.88 7.10.88 7.10.88 3940, Rasta Needar Rao, Chaukari Topkhana Jesh, Jaipur, 14. 43-K ishanpole Shri' Satya NarainSharma, Jain Murti Khajane dglon-ka— Rasta,Jaipur. 7.10.85 7.10.88 15. 25-Khe.tri. Shri Eudh Ham, V, & P.O. Tyonda, uistt.Jhunjhunu, Kajasthan. 7.10,85 7.10,88 16. 25-Khatri Shri Yad R a m, l/illi & P.O. Hserua, i^istt. Jhunjhunu, najasthan. 7.10.85 7.10,88 17. 25-Khetri Shri Shyam Lai, V. & P.O. Khetri, Jistt. Jhunjhunu, hajasthan, • 7.10.85 7.10.88 7b RA3ASTHAN(Contd.) 18. 4Q-3aipur Hux-al 7.10.85 S h r i T u f e i l ^hmed, l^ohalla S i k a r i r . n , " Inside Sanganeri Gate? 3aipur. 7.10.88 19, 4 0~0aipur Rural Shri tabu L a l . G u j a r , M i l l . Pali,Tehsil 3anitJaragarh j Via Amber;Post bhanpura Kalan, 3aipur» 7.10.35 7.10.86 20, 40~3aipur Rural S h r i f^ohd. E i r i j s G KhanFamous Pharmacy,Handipura, 3aipur, f- 3 jasthan - 7.10.85 7.10.88 51-&andikui Shr5. Ka.lyan Sahai 5 harma> y i j . l a g a Nanaguada, P.0 t Gudhiala, l/ia» E u n d i k u i , S i s 11 o 3 -a i P u r , Rajasthan. 7.10.85 7.10.86 21. 22. 68-Kaman S h r i Jeewan Sing'h, \1. (x P.O. P a h a r i . T e h s i l Kaman, ^ i s t t . Bharatpur, R a jasthan'. 7.10.85 '7.10.88 23. 49-Lalsot Shri haju fiesna, \1, & P.O. Q e o l i , Tehsil Lalsat, D i s t t . ' 3aipur, Rajasthan, 7,10.85 7.10.88 24. 75-Ueir Shri Ph°ol Sinqh, Bayana [> ,LJeir,iJistt,. Eiharatpur s h'a jasthan . 7.10.85 7.10.88 25. 74-Nadbai Shri Gyasi Ram, Uard No. 3, Kasba Nadbai, b i s t t . Eharatpur, i\a jasthan. 7.10.85 7.1Q.88 , - _ J_ ~ 79 - 2 3 4 Rh3ASTHaN(Contd.) 26. 72-Bharatpur Shri Gulab Singh Arya, • ' 7.10.85 M. & P . O . Cachhamandi 7.10.88 (iMauh)," O i s t t , Bharatpur, Kajasthan. 27. 46-Dudu S h r i fioopa Ham, P.0» Savarda, T e h s i l '^udu, L i s t t . Daipur, f"<a j a s t h a n , 7.10.85 7.10.88 - 80 - £HAPTE:R--IU P I g f QSAL J3F During the month of October, 1985, the Commissi-or received i n t i m a t i o n about disposal of 12 e l e c t i o n from d i f f e r e n t High Courts, Mo i n t i m a t i o n petiti regarding disposal of any appeal i n e l e c t i o n matters was received from the Supreme Court of India, Details* of. e l e c t i o n and pending i n the Court following petitions filed, disposed of High- Courts. <and appeals i n the Supreme (a) General Elections to the Assemblies held i n 1977-79, Sabha held i n 1980, (c) Legislative (b) General Election to Lok General Elections t o the Legislative Assemblies, 1980, (d) General Election to the Legislative Assemblies, 1982, (3) General Elections the Legislative Assemblies, 1983, to the House of the Pe'ople', 1984, (f) General Elections (g) General Elections Legislative Assemblies, T984 and (h) the Legislative eight statements ( I to U I I l ) i n the Supreme Court. Election General Elections to to Assemblies, 1985 are furnished i n the An apoeal, r e l a t i n g and judgment to annexed. to the year 1972 i s This appeal i s of High Court of against also pending the order Punjab and Haryana i n P e t i t i o n No;27 of 1972. Uttam Singh Us.Kirpal Singh by which the High Court had allowed the petition, contd,,,. - 81 As on 31,10.1985, 432 election petitions and 36 appeals uere pending in different High Courts and Supreme Court respectively, A statement (No.IX) showing the periods for which these election petitions in different High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court-are pending is also annexed. STATENENI - l GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THELEGISLATIVE-ASSEMBLIES, ,t977 to 1 9 7 9 . Number of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s f i l a d , disposed of? psndjjiQ j-H the. High Courts "and appeals-in tha Supj: erne Court* ; (As on 31.i0i1985); "S.NoT ferne^o? State"/" 'ETectTon *Pet*i'tio'n's £n g C o u r t » rippeaTs i n t h e S"upreme C o u r t , Filed °" "^*"Qisposed of Pending Union F i l e d _ "*" ' "*0i"sp"o"s'e"oT u"iT" """"Pencil r\o Territory. Upto the During Total U p t d the" " Our f ng" TcTtaT and of tha e&d of the last month month, last month month. T 1, 2, 3. 4. 5. 6, 7. 8. 9. _ Andhrt Pradesh(197B)'21 A s 3 a m (1976) 9 (1977) 31 r]jryana(i977) ' " 7 Hiiriachal Pradesh (1 977) 5 Jammu & Kashmir(1977)19 K^rnataka(i97B) 74 Karala(iJ77) 19 iviadhya Pradesh (1 977 ) 28 1 0 . Maharashtra(1978) 13 Q y ( 11. 9 1 2 . NaQaland(1978) 6 13. 0rissa(i977) 16 1 4 . Punjab (1977) 18 1 5 . Rajasthan(i977) 2 1 6 . Sikkim(V979) 8 1 7 . Tamil Nadu (1977) 1 8 . Uttar Pradosh(1977) 3719. LJast Bengal(1977) 1. UNION TERRITORIES; . 1. DelhT(T9T7T * 4 TOTfiL 21 9 31 7 5 19 74 '1.9* 2{> 13 1 ' 9 6 16 18 2 8« 37 1 5 _ _ _ ^ _ » 21 3 31 7 5 19 74 19 28 13 1 9 6 16 *ia 2 8 37 1 2 2 4 1 2 2; 2 2 333 333 333 2 . Goa,Daman & 0 i u ( 1 9 7 7 ) 1 3. nizoram(1g79) 4. Pondicherry(i977) _ ^ ? _ _ _ _ Q g - -• 6 3 6 2 6 3 6 1 ,1 4 4 6 6 2 4 4 6 6 2 '6 2 1 10 4 1 1 10 4 1 *1 10 4 5 9 5 7 5 7 1 2 1 2 1 2 72 69 69 • 1 6 3 6 GENERA L. ELECTIONS TO THE LOK SABHA, 1 9 6 0 . Number of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s f i l e d , disposed off pending in the-High 'Courts "and aff p e a 1 s in. the) 5 u p r e me C a u r_t. (As on 3 1 . 1 0 . 1 9 8 5 ) . S."No, Nama'™"oT 's'taite/""Election l^eTitio"ns Tn tKe High" TToLTrT. "Appeals in~the Su01*6*01^ "CourT. , Union Filed Disposed 'of \ PaTiding ffiledr. ^- Disposa^d of **r",-^ J Territory. Up to T F i "uTTfrhg" "Total UpToThe D*uVinQ Total end of the ' end of the l a s t month month. l a s t month month* —T " ~ ~2 ~ ~ 1 1 1 1 r~" x~ 1 z 1 ~ 12 n 11 z z 11 "• Hndhra Pradesh Bihar Gujarat _ t Haryana Himachal Pradesh 6. Jammu <k Kashmir • 7.Karnataka Kerala a. 9. fladhya Pradesh 10. Maharashtra 11. Orissa 12. Rajasthan 13. vTamil Nadu 14. Tripura 15. Uttar Pradesh 16. West Bengal 1. 2. 3. A. 5. 1 14 2 1 1 2 1 1 4 6 1 2 1 11 2 1 1 1 1 1 4 5 1 1 2 14 2 . 1 2 T3 2 17.•'• Aruriachal Pradesh 1 18, -Delhi 2 1 2 1 1 11 2 1 1 1 1 1 4 5 1 1 1 2 13 2 3 — z z 7~ 2 3 1 — 1 mm 1 1 _ 1 1 1 2 — 2 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 2 14 10 10 •1 UNION TERRITORIES: 19. Dadra d- N; Haveii Total: 1 •" 1 1 2 1 59 52 52. STATEMENT-I.il GENERAL ELECTIONS TO .LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES, 1 9 8 0 . Number of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s the filed.- d i s p o s e d o f , -pending i n High Courts and appeals i n the Supreme CourTT ~ \ (Aa on 3 1 . 1 0 . 1 9 8 5 ) . "S.TIuT Nanris'^oT "St a* te/~~-. "£•l'ecTi'a*n*~P e"tTtTo*ns"Mi~ ~h*e Tiiq'h~C'ou~t's»'Tj\'p*pe'aTs'~*i'n "tt,~ S'u'pr'eme' 'Cou'r't* !jlnlu? • Filed ' Disposed of Pendfriq ' *'"TiIef?" d i s p o s e d of ^Pending"' lemtory. Upto- the During Total Upto the During t o t a l " erici o f ; " the : "end of the l a s t month month* - •• • •• l a s t jna;nth._fTiGntVi» I 1 ! Z-rj?S"SSSSS"S~l"S£-Z~l I I . 1 1 l l T.. Bihar . 39 27 • Z. Gujarat ' 5 4. 3. Karala I- '• 8 8 4;.' 5. 6. 7. 8. 3, 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. iladhya Pradesh ' f'lanipur Maharashtra " Crissa Punjab Rajasthan . T a m i l Nadu U t t a r ' Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Goa,0aman & Diu Pondicherry TOTAL: : 23 23 4 4 16 16 • 4 4 42 4120 17 17 17 29 27 1 1- . 2 2 1 1 211 192 _ , . - _ 7 1 1 1 1 _8_ Z -9_ 1 -• _ I 1 £ - DXZ Z. 11MI 27 12 3 3 4 1 1 .1 8 • - 23 4 16 4 41 17 17 27 1 2 . . '• 1 3 2 - 1 ~ 192 19 2. 2 S .S 1 1 2 1 . _ •1 1 - 3 ~ 11 9 8 o 1 1 - . 45 37- - 3 1 - 2 5 1 1 _ . 9 9 5 1 _ - _ . 37 - . 1 _. 2 ... 2 3 - - 85 ~v STATEMENT'^IV -... .. ., .. • GENERAL ELECTIONS TO • LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES, 1982. Number of * e l e c t i o n * p e t i t i o n s f i l e d , disposed, o*f, "pending t h e High Courtyand Appeals i n the Supreme CourtT ...n.:...... : _ . . i 'i i. i .in w n - i i i ,i in.i.II i JUI'I.- i • - i in . '..... ^ .. ( As on 3 1 . '.Q. 1985). "S.TIoT "Nafne^oT Bt'at'e/^'E'le'ctTo'n Pe'ti'ti'on's -in' the HighCou'rt "Ap^e^ls^iri th*9 ^upEgjne C*oUr't>" Union F i l e d "*~~~ •• Disposed of Pending Piled Disposed oT "*" Territory, Upto -the During .TotaT Upto tha During T o t a l end of the . end of _ the l a s t "month J2Drjth. __ _ ••_ ^ las.t fn£nth— month 5 6 9 1 l~J~J!TJVL~™~_~_~-"ir_ _ £"„"!.""_ ™ ~~_ 1 JL 1 . l+ia.achal Pradesh 12 12 ** - - . 1 2 - 5 2 . Haryana 27 27 / " •• - , 2 7 - 17- 15 14 „ - 8 7 - 4 3 '' ; . ' 3. Kerala - 4 . U e s t Bengal 5. 'Nagalarid TOTAL: . 66 63 - 14 .. , ~ *T ~-Ts"L - " I - . SS 3 . 15 J, 1 ' 4 4 - 7 1 - - 3 1 63 3 2 1 .. 28 23 - 3 2 - '15 2 - 4 _ . ' - - 1 1 23 5 STATEMENT-V GENERAL ELECTION5TO THE LEGI3UTIVE ASSEMBLIES, -3983. Number of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s f i l e d , d i s p o s e d o f , ; pending the .High Courts and appeals i n the Supreme Court*:- , in a on 31.10.1985) « t^^f WBWW ^K^tt HVV t*^^ BH WU7W A^^tf ^^^v M>W #^^AW MUM d^^0 ^VMr ^^^tf MBHP BMB tfHkff *44to *^V MHB BMW B7W ^H^V W^tf IMHP- VHIVIl H ^ tfl^V HW VM^" WW VW 4^^V WM' ^B^P • 4H%" ••&• HMV'i MViV V^^B fl^^A i^Hv ^^^^t- ^^^tf ^^^V" ^^Mb 8. No. Name o f » s t a t e / Eleetion P e t i t i o n s , x,n the High Courts. Appeals i n the Supreme Cpurt. Union Filed Disposed of, : Pending Filed Dispossd of ". Pending Tarritory.v : Upto the During Total , , ~Upto the During T o t a l ., en,d of the * and of the l a s t month month " l a s t munth, month* 2 T2~ "3"" ~ "" T.~ ~ ~ T "" ~ 6 7~"" t "" 8 ~ :' : ™"9~' ~ " ~ TO"'": TV 1. Andhra Pradosh 2. Assam 3. Jamrnu i 39 34. 5 3 3 3 76 12 14 6.2 22 21 21 1 5 4 4 1 4 2 2 2 14 8 8 6 1 1 166 94 86 80 16 12 6 Kashmir 4 . Kar nataka Wag ha laya 6 . Tripura 7 . ' uaihi y . 34 • 1 1 •- 4 STATEMENT-VI' GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE HOUSE,OF THE:P£OPLE«1 9B4. Numbar of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s , filled,- disposed of,^ pending i n tho High Courts and a p p e a l s . i n the Supreme C o u r t . (-•la 6n 3 1 . 1 0 . 1 3 8 5 ) / S".No. Na~2 of S t a t e / E l e c t i o n P e t i t i o n s ' i n the High Courts' _.. ••••• Union • - •. . F-ilecT^"..; Qispos-aci o f - : Territory.. .. Upto the e n'd o f l a s t month. Pending During T o t a l the month •.5.. 6T.- ~ 7 "" 5 5 5 5 2 1 4.--Haryana 2 1 g. 2 2 6. Karnatoka 1 1 7. Kerala 1 8. F'iadhya Hradosh 2 1 9. . Maharashtra.,. 2 1. 1 1 15 10 6 6 1 • 1 . An^hra Pradesh 2. Bih^r •'3. . , Gujarat ' Jammu ic Kashmir 10. Orissa - 1 1 . Uttar Pradesh 12. u/sst 13. Lakshadueep 1 14. Oadra & N. Haveli 1 15. Delhi 4 ' Bengal, TUTA!? 50 1 "2" 1 1 T2" 1 "38 i n t h e Supreme Court • -' BispTDsed'-'o'':' Pand'iriQ Up-to the . During Total end of the l a s t month.month. . ~ r :sr ~ T - TO Tr " '-Filed 4" - titi - STATEMENT-VJI GENERAL ELECTIONS T-0 THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES, 1 9 8 4 . Number of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s filled, -disposed of, pending • in the Hiqh Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court. (as on 31.1O-*J985)% S.No, Name of S t a f e / "' ' •"„ Uni-n . Territ-ory "1" Elec1>i'on~i}'8'tTtTons'"~in The High Court* Appeals Tn tKe**~Supreme""Court Filed Qjspose'd of Pending t j l a d ' Df .^poaad' g F~~~~~Z~~ ""P • Up to the "During Upto t h e .. During T o t all end of the . -. ' endd off tth he . l a s t month month. ^_ jLa£t—m±L* VIlAfc.11 i2 -3 - ~£ - g "" 7~ ~' 8 9 ' " TO Tl 5 - ~ 1. Tamil Nadu 5 5- 2 . Pianipur 4 4 "1 1 1 1 - 3 . ,-irunachal Hradesh 4.' Gc a, Jaman & 1 5 . i'lizoram TOTnL: 12 12 STATEMENT - ,-UIII GENERAL ELECTI ONS TO THE LEG]ESU-TIME. ASSEMBLIES , 1985 Number of election petitions filed, Jij3pOS ed ofj. p.endinq in the 3h Courts and appeals in the Uupreme Court. (as on 31,• 10.1985) • • • . . « 5. No.. Name o7 State/„ Election Petitions in the High Court. Appeal^ in t'ha Supreme Court, Union Filed Disposed of Pending Fi led^ JU 3posed of P e nd i ng Territory. Upto the During Total . • •. Upto tht3 Uuring T o t a l end of end of the the last me i Tth month. J last month month. t 3 5 7 8 y 1G ~ T1 1 '4 1 " T2 — • mdhra Pradesh 17 — _ •17 1. 2. Bihar '3. Gujarat 4. Himachal Pradesh 5. Karnataka 6. Maharashtra 7. f'ladhya Pradesh 8. Crissa 3. Rajasthan •• 10. Sikkim 11. Uttar Pradesh 12. pondicharry TOTAL: 45 9 12 26 26 54 8 24 2 74 < 1 — 1 - • 9 - 1 1 1 2 10 5 49 1 — 7 24 .. 44 9 10 '• - 26 -.- 16 — _ — — _ 2 4 - 70 1 3 - 1 1 1 - — .— — — 1 - - 298 16 9 25 273 - - 1 1 4 — • . — — — •» — — — — — - - - - 90 ~ - IX Statement showing por_ic_Uj3_X±r-J£LLk^^ I n the HiQJT-J^au£ts^^ i are "Name""o7 "state"/" lias's "than" "~8etuee"n Ee'tUs^n" ^eTfueeri ~"0\7eF 3" Union a year. 1-2 Years. 2~3Yaars 3-4Years years Ierritcr^. ' HC. S_C_ HC SjC _HC SC, __ JHC__ SC,_ _HC _ SC. And"hFa""Pra~es"h 22 " " - " " 5 "~ 5 ~ 2 Assam • „ - . - . — 3 . . Bihar 49 2 15 Gujarat 1 0 - . ~ -. « 1 Haryana 1 1 - 2 _ 1 Himachal Pradesh 1 0 - 1 - 1 3ammu & Kashmir 2 6 2 - 1 — Karnataka 27 2 - 2 . 1 Kerala ^ „ . Madhya Pradesh 5 0 -. - — Maharashtra 1 7 — 1 1 Manipur 4 - _ - , Maghalaya 1 „ Nag a land ' <1 -1 - . . , - - . _ Orissa 8 - - - . - . . — Punjab - 1 1 - . - . . a . 1 • -. Rajasthan 2 4 .- 4 1 Sikkim « - . - . - . - ' - . - . - - Tamil Nadu 5 - 1 - _ \ Tripura U t t a r Pradesh Uest Bengal > arunachal Pd. Celhi Lakshadueep i Hizoram Goa, Daman & Diu Pondicherry Gadra&N.Haveli TOTHL: - - - 80 2 6 1 3 1 - 1 1 - 1 322 6 - - 2 2 «. ' 2 1 • 6 1 -. - - - 1 - » - 2 17 83 . - 6 _ _ _ - . - - - 3 . . _ _ _ _ - ' _ 1 25 2 _ . - 6 - 91'- CHAPTER - y.. VACANCY STATEMENT At the and of October '1985, there existed 20 vacancies in the House--of People and 3 vacancies in the Council of States. In the Legislative Assemblies^ of various States, there existed 13 vacancies whereas in the Legislative Councils of various States, there were/132 vacancies, •A statement showing details erf vacancies is given in the following pages. - 92 ABSTRACT - I T o t a T ' nu m be r -Q.f.'s^aats in Council of States and L e g i s l a t i v e Councils a nd vacancies. (As on3i ,10.1985). s. N o . 1 Name o f . S t a t e / Union Terriroty 2 1. Andhra Pradesh 2. Assam 3. Bihar 4. Gujarat 5. Haryana 6. H i m a c h a l Pradesh 7. Gammu & Kashmir 8. Karnataka 9. Kerala 10. Madhya Pradesh 11. Maharashtra 12. Planipur 13. Meghalaya 14. Nag a land 15. Orissa 16. Punjab 17. Rajasthan 18. Sikkim 19. Tamil Nadu 20. Tripura 21. Uttar Pradesh 22. West Bengal UNION TERRITORIES: 1. Andaman & N.Island 2. runachal Pradesh 3. Chandigarh 4. Dadra & N. Haveli S. Delhi 6. Goa,Daman & Diu 7. Lakshadueep 8, Mizoram 9. Pondicherry TOTAL: Council of States Legislative Council Total Vacant Total Vacant i C R C R 6 7 8 3 4 *" . 5 "" 1 _ — — . —' 18 — — 7 - — — 22 11 5 3 4 12 9 16 19 1 1 1 10 7 • — — 3 _ — 1 1 232 36 — - -— — - _ 63 - — — - — 1 1 — _ - 1 4 • - — 1 1 -— *— 96 — — 63 — — 78 _ — — mm 10 18 1 34 16 — 1 -— 108 — — 34 — — 1 ' — — 8 . 21 *m mm m. m. 8 — _ _ _ 21 — — — 39 _ — -» "• — *• — — — 1 131 TB • — — _ _ a. - • _ — — — - 2 1 444 R= Vacancies due to retirement* NB= Details of vacancies are shown in the enclosed statement - 93 - ABSTRACT-II Total the ^ . g .^_t..T ttJT? . b l i s s and y_aga [as on 30.1.0*1985). r §*No. "Name""of s"t^t'e/ ~H"ausV 'oT "the" 'PsopTejLegislatiua • . Assembly Union l/acjmt Territory. Total 'Vacant Total " "6 T 2 94 1. Andhra Pradesh 42 126 14 14 2. Assam** 2 1 324 54 3. Bihar 132 ' 1 26 4. Gujarat 2 90 10 5. Haryana 68 4 6. Himachal Pradesh 1 6 76* 7. Jammu & Kashmir 224 28 8. Karnataka 140 1 20 9. Kerala 320 40 10. Wadhya Pradesh 288 1 48 11. Maharashtra 2 60 60 2 12. Manipur 60 1 13. Meg halaya 147 14. Nagaland .21 117 2 15. Orissa 13 25 200 16. Punjab 1 32 17. Rajasthan 1 39 234 18. Sikkim 2 19. Tamil Nadu 60 85 20. Tripura 425 42 294 21. Uttar Pradesh 22. Uest Bengal 1 .Andaman & N, Islands 1 UNION TERRITORIES: 2 2. Arunachal Pradesh •30 1 3. Chandigarh 1 4 . Dadra & N, Haveli 7 56d 5. Delhi 1 6. Lakshadueep 2 7. Goa,0aman & Diu 30 1 8. Mizoram 30 1 9. Pondichorry 30 TOTAL: 542 20 3997 13 *" Excluding" *2*4 se'ats ear-marked" fo~ Pa£is\a'n~~o'ccu'pTed" "" "*" Territory. * * assembly was dissolved on 18.8.85* & r i e t r o p o l i t a n Council Constituencies. NOTE: Details of vacancies are shoun i n statement enclosed, VACANCIES IN PARLIAMENT AND STATE LEGISLATURES. (As on Name o f S t a t e 1 No, of seats vacant. 2 Nc . and Name of cc nstituency. Cause o f vacancy. 3" Date of vacancy. 30*' 10,,1985) "Date o f IRemark. 6 4 -? COUNC I L OF STATES BY .RETIREMENT 1 • jammu & Kashmir 1 By members By r e t i r e m e n t 1 0 . 1.84 3- 12 .85 Resignation 1 4 . 5.85 - 2 7 . 10.85 3- 12 . 8 5 3. 12 .85 3 1 . 12.84 - - / - CASUAL l/AC^NCIES. 1 » U t t a r Pradesh 1 By members. 2 . West Bengal 1 BM members 1 • nssam 14 Death HOIIS.E OF THE PEOPLE A l l the 14 seats General are vacant. erection not held 2. Bihar 1 23 • 3. Orissa 1 5C Kindrapara 4t i.ajasthan 1 5 . Uttar Pradesh 1 5. 6 « Uest Bengal 1 41 . 7• 1 1. O G lhi Death - 2.7 .85 1 6 . 12 . 8 5 Resignation 2 5 . 3.85 1 6 . 12 . 8 5 - 3-Churu .Death 2 2 . 6.85 1 6 . 12 . 8 5 - Bijnor(SC) Death 1 6 . 5.85 1 6 . 12 . 8 5 - Death 5.5 .85 1 6 . 12. .85 - Death 3 1 . 7.85 1 6 . 12 .85 mm Kisanganj Bolpur South D e l h i ' - - - 95 - 1. Bihar 34 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Retired' Patna L.A. Nalanda L,.\. ' Gaya L.A. Au rang a bad L.A, Nawac'a • L . H • Bhojpur L.,t. Rohtas L.A'. Saran L.n. Siwan L.A. Udpal Ganj L.-u East Champaran L.n. aJest Champaran L.i-i. huzaffarpur L.H. Waishali L.A. Liitaniarhi L.A. ^arbhanga L.A, Hadhubani L . H . -Samastipur L..i. Monghyr L.A. . bdgusarai-cumKhagaria L.A. Bhajalpur L.A* Purnea L.A. Kitihar L.A. Santhal Par§anas L . H . ^2 seats) Hazaribagh L..U Giridih L.A. Rp.nchi L.a. (2 seats) Palamau L.A. Phantad L.A. • Singhbhum L.K. (2 seats) Madhapura L.A. 11 members retired on 6.5.70,.11 members retired on 3^.5.80 and 12 members retired on 6.5.82. Information regarding constitution of local bodies(Members of which constitute the electorate of local authorities constituencies), is awaited from the Chief Officer. - 96 2» Dammu and Kashmir 8 By MLA3 (Tahsil Kargil) (i seat) Oammu Provice (4 seats) - Kashmir Provice (3 seats) 3» Karnataka 21 Biuar L,A» Gulbarga L.A. Bijapur L.A. Belgaum L.A. (2 seats) Uttara Kanneda L.A. Dharuad L.A. (2 seats) Raichur L.^. Bellary L.<\. Chitradurca L Shimoga L.A. Qakshina Kan,nada L.A. C.hickmagalur L . H . Hassan L./• Tumkur L.f. Bangalore L.A. Kolar L.A. Kadagu L./.. Mysore L.A. "5 Retired 5.9.84 Retired 11.9.84 Retired 11.9.64 Retired 7 mernbGrs retired on 1.7.78, 7 members retired on 14.5.80 and 7 members retired on 11.6.82. Certain local bodies yet to be constituted, I I I I I2- -'- - ~3 4 . Maharashtra 5 . T a m i l Nadu '8 21 Nasik L . A . Hune L . A . Osmanabad-cum-. Latui-cum-Beed 1_, nurangabad L . A , Parbhani L.A. Raigad-cum— Singhdurg—cum— R a t n a g i r i L.A. Sangli-cumSatara L.A. Ainravati L.A. Retired 7.7.8"2 Retired 27»B.84 tia d r a s L. a , Retired 21.4.74 of the Madras Corporation(the members of uhi«h constitute the electorate) is auaited. YRetired 21.4.76 Roconstitution of local bodies auaited. Ratirecl 21.4.78 Chengalapattu L.A. • Coimbatore~ N i l g i r i s L.A. (2 s e a t s ) Tiadurai L.A. (2 s e a t s ) T i r u n a v e l i L.A. (2 s e a t s ) i\lorth /^rcot L . A . (2 s e a t s ) South Arcot L . a . (2 Seats) TirunchirapallyPudukkottai L.A. (2 seats) i.anyakumari L.A. Due to' non-existanee.of local bodies biennial elections can't -be held. -do- -do- 1 2 „ _. ,_ Tamil Nadu 6. Uttar pxadesh _ 2. _ ._ _ -'". Th^njauur L»M» (2 seats) Salem-Dharampuri L.A. (2 seats) Ramanathapuram L,.l. (2 seats) 39 Tehri Garhual L.A. Garhual L.a. Kumaan L.A. Moradabad-Bijnor RainpurBoreilley L.A. Badaun L.A. PilibhitShahjohanpur L.A. Herdoi L.A. Kheri L.A, Sitapur L.A. Lucknou-Unna L.M. Pratapgarh L,./-»« Sultanpur L.A. Bara Banki L . M . Bahraich L . H . Gonda L.i-v, Faizabcd L.A, Basti L.A. . Gorakhpur L . H . •Daoria L.A, nzamgaxh L.^i. Ballia L.<-\« Ghazipur L.A» .... *A. „ Retired 21.4.80 Reconstitution of Local bodies aaaited. 26 members — retired on 5.5.80 and 13 members retired on 5.5.82. R,,constitution of local bodies auaited. J J F^etire.d x, *•• "" " 1 A — —— "*" Uttar Pradesh (Contd.) 99 - U a r a n a s i L.A. L.A. i L.A. Banda-Hrmirpur L.A. 26 members retired on 5.5,80 and 13 members retired on 5.5.82. RBconstitution of Local bodi'e* auaited. 3hansi-3alaunLalitpur L.M. Kanpur Fatehpur L.A. Etauah— Farrukho bad l_.a *.> c r a L • (•• Matnura-Etaah Hainpuri L , M , (2 seats) Alic,arh L.A, Bulandshahr L.A| Ghaziabad L.a. MijZaf far nagar~ Sah&xanpur L . H . 1 . 3ammu. and Kashmir By Kashmir Panchayat 11.6.83 Panchayats in Kashmir province have not bet been constituted. - iuu - LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES '1 . Bihar 111-Kisanpur Death Death F(eQ n. •f(?g n« 2 8.4.84 8.4.85 U.12.85 16.12.85 28.9.85 9.9.65 2. Haryana 2 14-3undla 63-Bhadra, 3. 3ammu & Kashmir 1 46 -Qoda Declaration dt. 18.4.33 of result w a s cancelled and repoll ordered in 16 polling stations vide Commission's order dated 22.6.83. 4. Kerala 1 111-Ranni Death 22 .3. 85 16. 12. 85 5. Maharashtra 1 117-Signapur Death 3 .9. 85 16. 12. 65 The Commission^ order dated 22.6.83 cancelling the.RO's declaration of result and directionof rapoll in 16 polling stations uas stayed by 3 & K High Court on 29.6.-83 in u r i t petition No. 291/83. On appeal by the Commission the Supreme Court vacated the High Court stay order on 19.7.83, and directed tha High cCpurt to dispose of the u r i t petition expeditiously. The High Court decision in the u r i t petition is s t i l l auaited. - \i 111 z "2 6. Punjab 2 7 . Gujarat 1 8 . Tamil Nadu 1 9 . West \ 101 -.. 7 2H-3allundur North Death 28.9.85 31-Jullundur Central - Oeath 28,9.85 Death 24.9.85 16.12.85 Death 9,9,85 16,12.85 Death 7.4.85 16.12.85 Death 4.9.85 16.12.85 148-Seyajiganj 50-Cheyyar 51-aurangabacJ The poll was countermanded dua to death of candidate on 7.9.85 • during t)1Q general elactions to Legislative Mssembly of Punjab. -do- C e ng a 1 1 0 . Delhi 1 2-LuXmibai Naqar - 102 - Commlssion|s y.igus__o_n_ jji ffj3 During the month of Octob-er,85, CEC met ths President of India and approsed him of the d e t a i l s of the steps that uere taken to ensure a free, peaceful poll in Punjab. the National Press. fair and His meeting uas covered by A press report on the subject is reproduced in the following pages. Apart fromthe above, Commission's. views on holding of bye-election from South Delhi parliamentary constituency*introduction of proportional representation in India, rejection of the demand of Dammat-e-U lema-i Hind that a l l those enumerated during tha census should be included in the electoral r o l l s of Assam, setting up of a special c e l l in Assam to ensure speedy disposal of nearly 11 lakh claims, rejection of demand of AASU for extension of time for the finalisatian of electoral r o l l s and convening of meeting of officials to discuss Asss-.m elections appeared in the press. Relevant press clipping's are reproduced in the • following p-?,g'as. - 103 3 A3 J^GLL _DE£AILS Chief Election Commission or R.K.Trivedi today reported to President Zail Singh that 67.5B per cent of the electorate had voted in the Punjab elections held in very peaceful atmosphere. He uas with the President for half an hour and gave him dbtails of the arrangements that, uere made for the p o l l s . Mr.Trivedi later told newsmen !'Thore uas not one instance of an adjourned p o l l or a repoll or an occasion for a r e p o l l . There uere no incidents of booth. capturing, rigging or pressurising of tht polling staff anywheres that made ,the situation even more heartening. . He said the President also had noted a l l these features and had complimented everybody connected with the conduct of the elections'. Another healthy feature was that the voters had been q uite discerning about their choice. HINDUSTAN TIMES NEU DELHI 2.10.85. - 104 - The E l e c t i o n Commission w i l l go nhond uiith a bye l e c t i o n in South Delhi necossitntod by the of,.Congress(l) , assassination leader L a l i t Makon. ^ t f i s c l c s i n g t h i s to UNI on Tuesday the Chief E l e c t i o n Commissioner, Mr »R «K . T r i v e d i said some p e t i t i o n s had been f i l e d elections. i n the Delhi High Co U rt regarding In r e p l y to the communication of tha Election Commission the high court had informed i t of tha t h a t none the p e t i t i o n e r s had demanded t h a t the r e s u l t s of b y - e l e c t i o n should be declared i n tha f a v o u r . the • "Therefore uo can qo ahead with holding the b y - e l e c t i o n . " 1 The commissioner had asked the Delhi Administration to sug-jost a s u i t a b l e programme for holding the b y - ' e l e c t i o n f i r . T r i v a d i addnd. The commission had 2I50 w r i t t e n to seven states of suggest s i m i l a r for programmes holding the Lok S.abha.cnd assembly by-ieloiction. Besides D e l h i , parliamentary b y - e l e c t i o n s be held i n one constituency Bengal,Rajasthan,Uttar each i n Bihar, Uest Pradesh and Drissa. INDIAN EXPRESS N.EU .DLL.HI . 9.10.85. uould - 105 - POLL PANEL AGAINST PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION The E l e c t i o n Commission has n o t found, i t tc accept the proposal f o r p r o p o r t i o n a l possible representation made by s e v e r a l O p p o s i t i o n parties, according t o F l r , R«K . T r i v e d i , t h a Chief Election Commissioner. The Commission had sought the comments o f recognized n a t i o n a l ard r e g i o n a l p a r t i e s on i t s recommendations f o r e l e c t o r a l reforms b u t t h e Congross(l T s l u g u Dasam, the- B3P and a number o f r e g i o n a l d i d not send t h e i r P a r t y , Lok comments t o i t . However t h e 3an.ata D a l , the two Communist p a r t i e s , B l o c , the Congress(S) parties Forward and some r e g i o n a l p a r t i c d d i d , Mr. T r i v o d i said i n an i n t e r v i e w here today after a c a r e f u l perusal of the Opposition reactions, for the Commission f e l t any change i n i t s o r i g i n a l that parties t h a t t h e r e was no need recommendations. The Commission has conveyed i t s comments to the Union Gavt, along with the replies of the p o l i t i c a l parties so that the Centre can hold the promised consultations with representatives of the parties ot promote a clean public l i f e via electoral reforms Those talks may be held before the uint.er session of Parliament and the Gout, can i n i t i a t e legislation before the end of the year, The proportional representation or l i s t . . . system w as not among the Commission's o r i g i n a l recommendation but was brought up by several parties, especially the Communists and even the B3P is known to be in its favour. - 106 ~ Asked about proportional representation iir.Trivedi said i t was ''basically a p o l i t i c a l issi-o". He add a d. Uhen the Scnstitution and the law lays doun the basic broad parameters, ue have to operate uithin them . Structural changes hnvjer not been sujg^estsd in our package of proposals. In a democracy you have always to consider distortions that arise from the working of a system*. The existing system has worked well, not too harshly. After a l l what is the basic purpose of election law? I t is tuo«*fold. F i r s t , the expression of an individual 1 s .nhoice-a'nd the' freeflorn to exercise it. The second is the assumption that a peaceful change can bo brought about in t h e ' S c v t . "On both these points I am convinced that, the existing system has stood the t e s t of time. Any other arrangement is likely to lead to fragmentation of parties or to coalitions at the Centre which uould uegken the Centre and not be in the national interest" • In. fact in the U.K., the Hansard Society had suggested a mix of the l i s t system and the existing system on the West German model. But even though more than six years have elapsed that recommondation has not b oen accepted. - 107 - UB are following .the B r i t i s h pattern. I think any change in the patt&rn is needed at don't this Stage. Since some parties hsvc opposed company donations to p o l i t i c a l parties as they f e e l that the "cake" w i l l go to the r u l i n g patty,, Mr T r i v e d i uas asked about- • his commonts, the Commission having welcomed the lau on i t in keaping with i t s oun suggestions. had favoured State funds for candidates' Some parties electioneering, The Chief Election Commissioner said "TheGovt. is already spending Rs.75 cmros on the Lok Sabha ' eloctions and an equal amount on Assembly elections^, Tha question being raised i s wrong. Hou do ue reduce the cost of electioneering? One that ue have made a number-of recommendations, • The resources are scarce even for the Fivfe—Year—Pit Do you scale i t doun? Ui~iy should not society take on a part of the expense of elections?. "Time for the parties op A l l India Radio and TV t h i s is a major recommendation of ours. next f i v e fcr 10 years u i l l The proplo in not be.able to attend public meetings." .according to him, Askod about the contributions of multinational corporations to parties influencing I n d i a ' s public/ l i f e , 1 as alleged by some leaders, Mr . T r i v e d i said there should bo l i m i t s . "Ehc accounts of parties .. ' and company accounts should be audited. The black - 108 .money gsts into the picture so long as you hauc a "parallel eccneny," He felt that recommendations on. eliminating money power, and muscle poucr should be implemented. A number of parties expressed apprehensions about the proposal that those uith a criminal record must be elections as they felt that the barred from contesting^/rulers could keep out their opponents by misusing their authority to dofino a criminal or make a candidate appear to be one in the eyes of the lau« The Commission thinks safeguards ars possible. Most parties favour the: words "criminal record" to bp defined after consultations betuoen the parties. One party called tha proposal "Obnoxious." Some parties had opposed the recommendation that the security deposit be raised by 10 times and the number of votes secured should be considerably mars (20/6) to savo the security deposit. The Muslim League said i t s character uas that of a minority and i t could not muster sufficient a deposit if the limit uas raised. support to sauo The S ikkim .Sangratn Parishad so.id the State's constituencies uor too small to merit the proposal.' - 109 - Mr. Triv/cdi favours Q l n l J to regulate the a c t i v i t i e s of p o l i t i c a l parties arg concerned. :-s far as elections "The conditt-'ians for roiulatibn and reennignition of parties should be suitably dofined or reuicued so that a p r o l i f e r a t i o n of parties ,dot.o not take place. Ue alrcp.dy hove a symbols ordor but something more needs to be done1'. STATESMAN DE'LHI 9.1C.85 he adds, - 110 - The Election Commission h^.s rejected T thG 3amaat s-Ulemo-i-Hind that .--ill those, cnt-mor itad during the census should be included electoral r o l l s . nor d e s i r a b l e . " a demand: by This i s neither in the Assam legal norf easiu l o , according tc tho Chief Election Commissioner, The provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act arc quite ciaar that only Indian c i t i z e n s above the age of 21 can be enrolled, besides the Assam accord those foroignars enrolled. who came prior lays down t h a t only to -March 25,1971, cab bo Mou i t -has gqne back to Danuary 1,1966, going through c e r t a i n Mr.Triv ed i said after formalities, i t was not true t h a t names of 000,000 people had boon, struck off the e l e c t o r a l . r o l l s in -Assam as alleged by the 3amaat leader, Mr .Assad FUdani, MP , U I told him yery pa inly t h a t ue are not concerned iJith communities but with a v o t e r ' s eligibility as o citizen in terms of tho accord", h Q ad d ed . Mr Mad?.ni h";d 3i::.3mitted a memorandum to the Commission but i t did not mention-any number of deleted ! from the rolls. 'In any case, one or tuo things are q u i t e Ue s h a l l fully spirit implement the accord and" w i l l , people in l e t t e r clear. and nt the some time, make sure t h a t no one i s unnecessarily harassed and n0 Indian citizen' - is left out. In fret, 111 - an Indian citizen, if he moved from any ntho'r ' part of the country to Assam, Gv/en a feu months before TJanunry i ,1985-thrit is if . he fulfils the residential qualifications bo P; t i t l e d to bo enrolled. ho uould And this date-March 25,1971 does not apply in his case; nor does 3ar>uary 1,1965." he said. Certain substantive proofs ucr required. "Ue u i l l not acce.pt any oral evidence,.. Uhat ue need i s documentary evidence and i t must be to the of the Additional Chief Electoral satisfaction officers. Any one document uould bo immediately accepted uhethor i t uas a birth c e r t i f i c a t e 'citizenship rights ce t i f i c n t e citizenship c e r t i f i c a t e . or voters' list, cr the notional More than p, e document uas n not needed. These ucr foolproof documents. Tho rest usreonly supporting evidence and authenticity and validity had to be to the satisfaction cf the authority disposing of the claim, "To the bust of our information, the recods arc av ailable-rnay not be readily at a l l police stations but can certainly be found yhen they arc ncedod. In fact if this allegation uoro to be trus he (fir Madani) uould not ask that reaistor be verified themselves. a notional citizens by dlactnrp.l r e j i s t r a t i o n They must be in existence, 5 ' officers - 112 - Fir Triycdi said, Evon after electoral registration has' L):-n:vi taken to include or delete n n?,rno, n remedy lies in the form of appeal to the d i s t r i c t election officer. • Even after publication of the final r o l l s , a remedy is open to those uho fool aggrieved for filing a claim or °b lection, "As far ?.s the dgportction part- is concerned^ the Election Commission docs not corns into the picture at a l l . A deportation can take .place only under the lau and that too under orders of the authorized tribunals, "It is a yrong notion th.at anyone uho is not on the r u l l s nou will be depor'ted This is incorrect as far as us automatically. are concerned. There is no question of deportation of any Indian citizen." STAT EMAN NEU DELLHI 11.10.G5 - 113 E^Lk^HIll^r^IPJl J^Jj^ J^OUEJ^ CELL IN^ASSAM In n major effort to finalise'the electoral r o l l s in Assam oxped itiously, the election Commiss ion has directed the state gout, to set up a high pouor coordinating call and press into service on full, time basis over 2,000 officials to help dispose of the nearly 11 lakh claims and objections. Disclosing this to newsmen here this ev/ening the deputy election commissioner', Mr •l/.Romakr ishnan said the high power c o l l , comprising the chief officer electoral and representatives of the home, finance, personnel and tr ansport d apartment s will meet on alternative days to take stock of the situation and deal with day to day problems. Mr.Ramakrishnan, who returned here last night after a five day v i s i t to Assart alonguith the commission secretary, said the chief election commissioner, Mr.R.K.Trivedi had also impressed upon the state gevt. the need to set up such a c e l l , Mr.Ramakrishnan said that the commission has also directed the chief electoral officers to strengthen the mircitoring arrangement so that the performance of clearance of claims and objections could be assessed against" pre-d ntermined targets." Though Mr .Rafflakrishnan did not divulge the targets date, i t is understood that the final r o l l s would be ready latest by the middle of next month - 114 - and the elections are l i k e l y Christmas, There is also of constitutin-j a> to bo hold before constitutional • compulsion the new assembly before January 17, 1986-uithin six months of the last sessions of the dissolved assembly. The anxity of the commission ot get.the rolls ready expeditiously could also be gauged from the appointment of a record number of 68 additional chief electoral o f f i c e r s 'and 2,000 assistant electoral for the purpose. .The additional chief officers officers electoral are of thu rank of commissioners and j o i n t secretaries. ' ' JL^!JLM-G^fP<?J*?J.rir..Ram?ikriQhnan said t h a t a forum had also beoh set up to deal with complaints and violations of tho commiss.isnts guidelines while disposing o f claims and objections. He said the; commission had taken cognisance of any malpractice by those engaged in the preparation of i ^ l l s and effective act ion, including suspension had been recommend ad uhcrevcr prirna facie case Has w '-stab lished, . He said the commission had sought regular from the chief electoral o f f i c e r reports of Assam on the progress made and a through rev/iou uould be made after a uook» *• 115 Tho s t a t e government an i t s t h e number of preparation r:IJja holi-days of the r o l l s to Of t h e 17 d i s t r i c t s , Gnd objections Naugcngd .20 districts for the; l a r g e s t for engaged (2.65 (about one and o b j e c t i o n s hnd s t a r t e d to on the for to S a i k i a to give priority additional wireless to AssamjMr.Ramakrishnan Barpota d i s t r i c t Ho said s t a t e was f u l l y top aroas. visit and o b j e c t i o n s . people has asked the Assam the e l e c t i o n work and provide visited they ' m i n i s t e r , Mr . H i t o s u a r During h i s last the the concerned boriafides. sots i n a c c e s s i b l e of had already begun- and The Commission, he s n i d , chief lakhs), purpose. sending n o t i c e s prove t h e i r claims lakh) Mr.Ramakrishnan said work on d i s p o s i n g claims the process. them uoro received the in number o f i n Barpota and Darrang and most of d at o-5 o p t . 27 set those curtailed snood up the were received lakhs) own had to sec the d i s p o s a l o f tho e l e c t i o n geared up to also apparatus claims in take on the uork' f Ho also had a meeting w i t h the e l e c t i o n r e g i s t r a t i o n officers, officers deputy commissioners and subsequently electoral officers He said c u t t h e r e arc over of and sub and ton c e n t r a l the 126 assembly TIMES OF INDIA NE.Q DELHI 16.10.85 chief observers. constituencies and o b j e c t i o n s 49 c o n s t i t u e n c i e s , N divisional w i t h -the a d d i t i o n a l 10,000 claims the in - 116 •L-JLJ-PT.... / S _ FGR_ _rTp_RE JIj"IE The Election Commission- today virtually redacted, the All~Assam Students Unicn pica for extension of timo for the-finalisation ov electoral r o i l s . Deputy Election Commissioner V«Ramakrishnan, dricfing newsmen after an AASU delegation called on him here today, reiterated that the Commission had issued very clear instructions to the State electoral machinery^ that i t s guidelines for disposal of claims and objections be complied with oxpeditipusly. The delegation, which included the nou president and( the -j on oral socrotary of the A/>5U?Mr .Kartik Haznrika and Mr. S.Kakati, had submitted a memorandum which demanded that viou of the largor number of claims and objections more timo should he available to the Stato election machinery for proper disposal of these objections. Mr .Ratnakrishnan told the delegation that the Commission wanted that the ob jocticons wore disposed of cxpcditiously considering the fact that process uas already on for almost ?. year' nou, On AASU complaint that doubtful documents liko false citizanship'certificatos had boon cosidcred for accepting claims,fir.Ramakr ishnan said in specific casus of i r r e g u l a r i t i e s action would be taken so that claims uoro not accepted on the basis of doubtful documents* - 11? Flr.Ramakrishnan s;s r e s t e d soak c l a r i f i c a t i o n s the d e l e g a t i o n to from tho C o n t r o l observers and a d d i t i o n a l CEO's uhancver me cssr.ry. HINDUSTAN TIME NEU DELHI 25.10.85 - 118 - The c h l o f E l e c t i o n Commissioner,Mr .R .K . T r i v o d i h a s convened a h i g h - l e v e l m e e t i n g of t r p Assam G o u t ; officials here on November 6 to discuss arrangement for holding of elections in the s t a t e , Tho chief secretary to the Assam Govt., the director general of police, the state chief officer doctoral and senior officials of tho Union Home Ministry would attend tho meet ing,fir .Trivedi said in an exclusive interview to PTI hore on Wednesday, The meeting would, also review tho progress of work relating to tho preparation of the electoral r o l l s in the north-eastern state which is a prerequisite for conducting the poll in tho s t a t e . While Mr.Trivodi declined to indicate the date of the poll, ho said i t should bo possible to "moet tho deadline of January 17" before which the now Assembly has to bo constituted unless President's rula is imposed. Constitutional requirement is that the state Assembly has to moot within a gap of six months since tho last session. This period in Assam onds on Danunry 17,1986, Imposition of tho President's rulo in tho state is virtually ruled out and a clear fortnight's notice has to be given to the newly elected members before. (' ' tho constitution of the Assembly. As such, in a l l probability, tho elections in the s t a t e , both for the Assembly, and ponding L/bk Sabhn saats might be held in 0 DC emb y 1 • r Along u i t h by-clcctions 13 f o r 119 - thte e l e c t i o n s i s Assam, a l l pending i n the country-sc:von f o r Lok S^bha ar.d Assembly-would bo held , Fir .Tripod i said. The seven Lck Sabha scats vacant arc two from Uest Bengal and one each from B ihar ,U P,Orissa,Rn j asthan and D o l h i . F l r . T r i v o d i said t h a t about 75 par cent oT the 12 lakh claims and o b j e c t i o n s boon disposed o f filed and only t h r o e . i n the s t a t e had lakhs usro pending. I n s p i t e of the enormous problem uc had to face in terms of the s i z e and s c r l e o f claims and o b j e c t i o n s and tho race against t i m e , t h i n g s arc u c l l control" tho Ghiof E l e c t i o n Commissioner About 2,000 a s s i s t a n t electoral o f f i c e r s , 68 s t a t e observers under said. registration and than c e n t r a l arc c u r r e n t l y busy i n d e a l i n g ' u i t h the claims objections. ' . INDIAN EXPRESS NEW DELHI 31.10.85 observers and ( ~ 120 CHAPTER - V I I SPECIAL MEASURES T0 S.IFEGUHRO THE_JMTEKESTS OF WEAKER SECTIONS AT ELECTIONS. On receipt of complaints of physical .assaults and prevention of members of ugaker sections from voting, the Commission wrote to the Chief Electoral Officers'of All States and Union Territories to'/adhere strictly to its earlier instructions on setting up of polling stations in colonies, inhabited by ueakar sections irrespective of the number of electors , to enable the members of weaker Sections to cast their vot(es freely* The circular letter issued by the Commission is appended. -121 ELECTION CCPK'ilSSION OF INMM Nirvachan Sadan, New J e l h i - 1 1 0QU1 No. 64/85/ Hated 8th October, 1-385. To The. Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories. Sub:- Free and fair elections - Special measures to safeguard the interests of weaker sections of the people. •• • • • Sir, I am directed to state that it has been brought to the notice of the Commission that in certain States members of Scheduled Castes were attacked and injured during the last Lok Sabha Elections held in 1984 and they'were prevented from voting. It has always been the endeavour^of the Commission to ensure "free and fair poll and the Commission had been taking special steps to enable members of Scheduled Castes and other u/eaker sections of the society to exercise their franchise without fear. Under Commission's instructions as contained in Chapter II — paragraph 1(d) of the Hand Book for Returning Officers, 1384 Edition, the District Election Officer/Returning Officer is to set up - 122 polling stations in colonies inhabited by the members cf Scheduled Castes and other weaker ssctions of. the society, even thuugh the number of voters may be less than SuC' If these instructions had. been faithfully carried out, i.e. by identifying such Sensitive areas and. providing separata polling stations well in time, therms would not have been any scope for the weaker sections to stay away from voting for fear of attacks and assaults. I am therafcre, to request that the above instructions may be once again brought to the notice of all the District Election Of ficars/Returning Of fib sirs" " ...in your State/Union Territories . for strict compliance* This facta.r may kindly be kept in view at the time of next raviau of the existing polling stations. A statement showing details of the spoiling stations located in loGalities/ Easties inhabited predominantly by members of Scheduled Castes and other Weaker sections of the society may please be sent to the Commission as and when lists of polling stations are drawn up in connection with any future general/bye-electiun in your State/Union Territory. Tha receipt of this letter may kindly be acknowledged. Yours faithfully, Sd/(R.P.OHMLLH) SECRETARY - 123 - CHAPTER ~. VIII Press repc-rj^s^pn_elections and . political systems of foreign countries and other, matters of interest During the month of October, 1985, Press reports, editorials and articles on elections and political systems of foreign countries and other matters of interest appeared in the press. The / press reports, editorials and articles which'are considered of special interest are being reproduced in full in the following pages* 8,10.85 Indian Express, New Jelhi. 10.10.85 * Deccan Herald, Bangalore. Defeat of Socialists in Portugal election? * Defeat of Socialists in Portugal elections 15.10.85 . Hindustan Times, New Delhi. , HQgarding elections in Belgium. 30.10.85 Statesman,Jelhi. Regarding re-electior of Ivory Coast, President who secured valid votes. - 124 S OCI A LI SIS:,O EFEAT ED I N PORTJUGA L ,,ElECT I u US Portuguese Socialist campaign leader,Mr.Antonio Aimerida Santos admitted defeat by the Social Democrats on Sunday in a general election considered crucial for the country as it prepars to enter the European Community next January, ' Ue have lost a battle, but we have not lost the • war,' he said in a television interview. He congratulated new Social Democratic leader, Mr» Anibal Carvaco Silva on his victory. Another Socialist leader, Pte. Antonio Campos, blamed the Socialist defeat on the tough austerity programme during the tuo-year Socialist Social Democratic coalition u-hich collapsed last 3une over differences on economic policy. Mr.Campos said the election results would make it difficult to form a neu government,Portugal's ' 16th since an armed forces revolution restored democracy in 1974 after nearly half a century of rightwing dictatorship. An impressive performance came from the newDemocratic Renewal Party(PRD) formed by supporters of the outgoing president,Mr.Antonio Ramalho Eanes,50 who steps down in January after 1Q years in office. in Computer predictions put the neu party^/fourth place after the Social Democratic, Socialists and Communists, overtaking the Christian Democrats. '- 125 The, PRO leader, Mr.Hsrminio Martinho, 39, expressed his * s a t i s f a c t i o n , .while' another PRO m i l i t a n t , foreign minister,Mr.Medeiros former Ferreira, said that if Mr.Eanes had been able to campaign the PRD would have won a- majority. n it We w i l l do so i n the next e l e c t i o n s , he d e c l a r e d , Eanes i s expected to become party leader a f t e r he leav/ss office. Veteran Communist c h i e f , the r e s u i t s Mr.Alvaro Cunhal hail as "good for PDBtuguese democracy" and a blow t o outgoing S o c i a l i s t prime minister,Mr.Mario Soaras 1 hopes o f succeeding Mr. Eanes as p r e s i d e n t in e l e c t i o n s i n the new year* The p r e d i c t i o n s gave the S o c i a l Democrats under Mr.Anibal Cavaco S i l v a between 28 and 29.8 per cent o f the v o t e , between 23.8 and 26.9 per cent soares for Mr Mario Socialists. The communists r e t a i n e d t h i i d place w i t h between 17*3 and 18,1 per cent and the new Democrats Renewal Party s u p p o r t i n g fourth with Mr. Antonio Ramalho Eanes was l y i n g between 1 1 * 1 . and 14.9 per c e n t . INDIHN EXPRESS NELJ DELHI 8.10.85 - 126 BIG UIN FOR BELGIAN RULING PARTY Prime Ministor Uilfriad Martens1 centre-right coalition uon a decisive victory-in yostarday's Belgian general elections increasing its majority by two 'to 16. Uith all votes counted, the Prime Minister *s Christian Social Party (C3P) won 49 seats in the 212- ' member Parliament, an increase o^f six» Of the other coalition parties, the Uallonian •-Liberals (PRL.) kept their 24 seats and the Social Christians (PSC) increased their representation by two to 2 0. -, • ' . . . ' • ' The Flemish Liberal party ( P M ) was the only coalition party to lose., votes, it got 22 seats, a lass-of six. The opposition Socialist Party in Flanders(SP) also won 32 seats, an increase of.-six, .and' the Uailonian 2aciali3tj(PS) kept their 35, to remain the biggest party in the southern French-speaking half of the country, •HINDUSTAN TIMES NEU DELHI 15.10,85' - 127 LISBON AFTER THE POLLS The outgoing Socialist Prime Minister ofPortugal, Mr.Mario Soares, was obviously wrong in turning a blind eye on the ,real issue- namely the unpopularity of hi,s economic policy - which rupTJred the SocialistSocial Democratic coalition last June» The austerity programme which characterised that economic policy . failed politically because tho people perhaps came to associate the severity of such policy, with Socialism while parties to the right off the centre took full advantage of the popular misgiving. It turns out that Mr.Soares's one time partner in. power and Social Democratic loader Anibal Cavaco Silva played his card wall enough to gain a 9 per Cent load in votes and 30 more seats in parliament over the Socialists. The few remaining seats that are still undecided will not alter the picture substantively. The Swing is very definitely to the right, so much so that even the hardco,8 support for the Communist- Party has. eroded down to about 15»5 (per cant compared with the newly formed Democratic Renewal Party's 18 Per cent. Ironically for Mr,Soares, tha PRD, formed by supporters of President Eanes, is now poised for a crucial role in the 250membar parliament of the country. Mr, Soares had apparently bean aspiring for the office of the President as Mr.Eanos's ten-year term was to end in January next year. The defeated Prime Ministarnow must live with the fact that it is precisely because of the emergence of the PRD,with 44 seats in parliament, that - 128 the Socialist Party has lost its traditional position as the country''s largast pirty. - Tho loss sufferad. by thg Socialists does not, however, promise to bring Portugal a more stable political order. A-combination of the Social Dsmccrats and the Christian Qemacra.ts. would not produce even a simple majority in parliament. The volatile political scene of the country, which witnessed the return of democracy in 1974 -after nearly half a centyry of right wing dictatorship, is not likely to charge even if it could be assumed that the Social Democrats leader, Mr.Silva's bid for a right centre coalition might meet with an immediate success. The basic fact of the Portuguese party system is that opposition to the left is not much of a common ground for the different parties to work unitedly; What stand the new PRD will take on the question of Partugal's proposed,entry into the European Economic Community next year may» f° r example* remain anybodyfs guess for some time. The uncertainty factor may well deminate the new alignment of forces, both on the right and the left, in the next Portuguese parliament* OECCAN HERALD BANGALORE 10.10.85 - 123 - 100% VOTE FOR IVORY COAST PRESIDENT I v o r y Coast's 80-yaar old President F e l i x Houphouat Boigny has been ra-elsrctad- by 1 C0$ o f those who voted • i n l a s t Sunday's g e n e r a l . e l e c t i o n , i t uas announced hare y e s t e r d a y , r e p o r t s AFP, The I n t e r i o r / M i n i s t e r , Mr .Leon Kenan K o f f i the r e s u l t showed t h a t the Uest A f r i c a n S t a t e ' s people were'* f e e l i n g - more committed 0 t o the and . 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HT^fprr iff i A ! 2 6 WTHf % frTO fTTcT ¥T^ t I i Pew xr^rrfQ^TT ^ 2'Prf^far m f j M irffi i f f^r 3i?wr ?TT^TT ai i M Pcfijf arh" 68 #rlP<cfd gS^ ^ 7 ^ sfa^Tli" Sftr ^7" f^TT ?Tf #ffirfr f^^vr f ^ t i efdP* 4d Pcj I6M0-85 150 - 3TF7cRT *fr STRO^O # a^ 10 TT 17 eft" fg&TR -^rr aft WRTT i" I ^ f SffaT 17 ^"Rff 3!•10*85 wt wt **MT ki Documentation Monthly • VL Election Commission of India C O N T E N T S -^—«_~— CHAPTER - I Page ' Books and Articles 4 - 17 18 - 42 43 - 46 47 - 57 58 - 68 69 — 76 CHAPTER -II Notes on judicial decisions in election matters. CHAPTER -III Cases of disqualifications. CHAPTER - IV Disposal of election petitions. CHAPTER -V Vacancy Statements.' CHAPTER - VI Commission's views and pressstatements on certain aspects of elections. CHAPTER, -> VII Recog^iticn/Registration of p o l i t i c a l parties under Election Symbols(Reservation and Allotment), Order, 1968, 7 7 - 8 2 CHAPTER * VIII Alleged defection of Shri Kamalnath Thakur, a member of Bihar Legislative Council-Decision of the Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council. 83 - 87 CHAPTER - IX Foreign Election-Elections in Suedan. 8 8 - 9 3 CHAPTER - X Press reports on electiongand political systems of foreign countries and other matters of interest. 9 4 - 9 9 CHAPTER - XI Or. Ambedkar Memorial Lecturs delivered by Chief Election Sh r i R.K.Trivedi, 100 - 167 JTPT 163 - 172 182 - 187 44 | j^cil 2 j f \\\t(i fun 3rrffer Po^y? r » The Documentation is intended to acquaint the Officers and staff of the Commission and the Chief Electoral Officers and their staff uith articles on current political issues published in Periodicals/ Newspapers, received in the Commission's Library, Development in the field of Electoral Law and Procedure, Progress in the disposal of election Petitions, judicial decisions thereon* Commission's decisions on questions as to disqualification of ( members t o either House of Parliament or of the State Legislatures and Bye-elections to both Houses of Parliament 3nd State Legislatures. Besides the usual chapters, this issue also contains the Dr. Amb^dkar Memorial Lecture delivered by Chlaf Election Commissioner,, Shri R»K, Trjyadj and Special Chapters on "Recog-..nition/Registratio.n of P o l i t i c a l Parties under Election Symbols(Reservation and Allotment) Ordar, 1968", ^Alleged defection of Shri Kamalnath Thakur, a member of Biha* Legislative Council - Decision of the Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council" and " Foreign Elections -» Elections in Sweden11! • • • # • # i - 4 CHAPTER -. rI... BOOKS AND, ARTICLES A few hneks have fceen added to the Library of the Election Commission. The details of the books are given in Annexure-I. A number of articles »n current political issues and other matters of interest appeared in various perindicals/neuspapers which were received in tho Commission's library during November, 1985. A list nf such articles as are considered to lie «f special interest is given as annexure-II. ANNEXURE-I TITLE PUBLISHER Prophecies Df iM ortradamus. London,Corgi,1384 International Who's Who-of Intellectuals. Vol.-- I/I. " Cambridge: International Bioaraphical Centre, 1985. Montgomery, Ruth Threshold To Tomorrow. New York, 6allantine,1984. Sorabji, Soli & others Cover nor: Sage or Saboteur. New D. ; lhi,Roli, 1985. AUTHOR Cheetham, Erika ANIMEXURE-II AUTHOR TITLE A. £O_R AND POLITICS REFERENCE (a) Anderson, Harry & • t her s . NewsueeKNovember A Snap .Election.. 18,1985, pp. 31-32, Reg. the forthcoming Presidential and VicePresidential elections in Philippines.. Kunju: Commonwealth With nothing common. Caravan: November 2, 1985, pp. 27-29. Moody,John. No Strength In Numbers. Rfig. elections in Poland. Time:October 28, 1985, p. 28. Reed,J.D, The PhilippinesRunning Like An Underdog-. Time:November 25, 1985, pp. 18-20... On the forthcoming elections in January, 1986. Russell,George "I'm heady, I'm Ready".Time:November 18, 1 9 8 5 pp R:,g. the forthcoming ' * ?5'28' presidential and Vicepresiden-tial elections in Philippines secheduled f,or January 17,1986. (b) _Neu - Perera,jehan Solution In Federalism: The Statesman: Tamils'Place1 In Sri Delhi, November 2, Lankan Polity. .>.„ 1985, p.6. 11• • • l / —7 — REFERENCE TITLE AUTHOR Editorial Marcos' gamble. Reg. presidential election in Philippines scheduled to be held in January next. . Indian, txpress: New Delhi,November 5,1985, p.6. The Hindustan Times} Nsu Delhi,November 6,1985, p.9. Editorial Harcos On T r i a l . Patra,Saral Banglaiesh:Clearing decks for p o l l . ' Gandhi, Rajmohan Sri Lanka;Tamils, Muslims and "hostages" Indian Express: New D.-jlhi, November, 18,1985, p.6. Bhutan!, Surendra The Polish National Herald: New Dolhi,November 20,1985,p.5. Chopra,Pran Fateful days in Pakistan-I. Indian Express: New Dalhi,November, 25,1985, p.8. Chopra,Pran Fateful days in Pakistan-II. Indian Express: New Dglhi,November 26,1985,p. 6. ; the tlections Reg. the political situation in Pakistan, B • Patriot;New Delhi, November 12,1985, p.4. / AN ^ELECT I D N S A N D POLIT (a) Magazines Anita Pratap Dilemma in the South. Sunday:November 10This is a report on the 17-23,1985,pp. 16. political uncertainty looming.large over the three non-Congress(I)ruled states in the South. , • . • . 8 /— AUTHOR Banerjee, Indramil TITLE Assam-The Accord Discord. According to the w r i t e r the formation .:,,• f a nsu regional party - the Assam. Gana Parishad has led to the state being divided by communal and ethnic differences into two i r r e c o n c i l a b l e camps. Baueja, Harinder Is i t Peace time In Punjab? Keg. the political situation in Punjab after the elections. Bhattacharya Shubha brata The Finance Minister's ateeplechase. The author analyses the hurdles in the Finance Minister's way in rooting cut corruption agi black money. Caravan REFERENCE India Today: November 16, 1985, pp.10-16. Probe I n d i a : November 1965, pp. 22-23,25-27. Sunday: November 24-30,1985, pp. 18-20. Rise ,• f Raj iv . Caravan:November , This is an analysis of t h e ( 1 s t ) , 1 9 8 5 , p p . . i4-i6. .one year rule of Shri Rajiv Gandhi. Chakraborty, Will The Congress Shyamal Kumar Break Up? Sunday: November 3 - 9 , 1 9 8 5 , p p . 21 and 23. Chakraborty, Sujit Surya I n d i a , November 1985, pp. 5 - 8 . Mizoram:Will The rebels surrender? Chakravartty, A Year Without Indira.. Nikhil Sunday: November 3-9,1985,pp.1720. ChadhurijK.C. The Political Fallout. Reg. the Assam acc«ld. Surya I n d i a : Nivember 1985, p. 4 8 . — 9 .— AUTHOR Gupte, Pranay REFERENCE- TITLE IUI:November 3-9, 1985,pp, The Challenge Of Change. 26-2.i. Rajiv Gandhi has activated measures to vivify the administration and social structure. The writer tries to probe whether he can overcome the realities of Indian politics. GuPta,R a njit Sunday: November 3 - 9 , 1985, p p . the 30-31 . Sizing Up Rajiv Gandhi. The writer analyies economic and p o l i t i c a l consequences of the 1 Prime Minister's policies Of Mistrust. Sunday: October 2026,1985,pp.25Reg. the p o l i t i c a l sce-ne 26,29. i n Kashmir after the resignation of Deputy Speaker Shri Gulamuddin Malik, and his subsequent joining the. Opposition National Conference.. 3ameel,Yusuf Kashmir:Rule Kamath,f'].U. Do y s have a Plan For Kashmir? Reg. the political situation in j & K. Kartha,G.S. Riding The Rocking Boat. Reg. the political ' scene in Kerala. Nene,Damodar, After Solanki,uJhat? Pandit,R.V Reg. the political sitution in Gujarat. Grace and faith produce a miracle in the Punjab; What Now? Surya I n d i a : November, 1985, p. 3 3 . Caravan:October ( 2 n d ) , 1 9 8 5 , p p . 2931. Caravan:November (2nd),1985, pp..13-16. Imprint:November 1985,pp. 30-31, 33,35-36. Reg."the situation in Punjab after elections.. . . . .10/- - 10 REFERENCE TITLE AUTHOR The Faces of Assam. Pandit, Jooshar "For a state torn apart by six years o,f violence and turmoil, will the 16 December elections usher, in peace?" The y writer analyses the preelection scenario. Sunday:November 17-23,1985, pp. 30-33,35. Pandit,Jooshar Assam; The Great Divide. Sunday: November 24-30, 1985,. Bandopadhyaya,g pp. 28-29. p a n r—\ 1 iI ^ ^ >. t~t ^\ ^ C\ (~\ P~ M i n o r i t i e s Front and i t s e f f e c t on the p o l l being held on 16th December, ,1985 i n the state. Puri,Rajinder The' Great Leap Forward? Reg. the recent Indian t a l k s . Sino- IUI:November 17,-23,1985,p.57, of the Prime Imprint:November 1985, pp. 14-17, 21,23,25-27,29. Singh Tavleen A Tale »f Tuo Governors. Imprint:November 1985, pp. 67-75. Sanghvi, l/ir and Shah, Amrita. The S e l l i n g Minister. The author gives,what according to him i s the account of midnight manoenvres in Raj Bhavan that toppled Shri Farooq Abdullah's government. This Finance Minister is Sunday:November Different. 24-30,1985, The writer says that with pp. 25-26. Shri U.P.Singh at the helm of affairs in finance the era of pgliticking by industrialists is over. C o n ».. . 11 /- - 11 AUTHOR JJTLE - Unheard m e l o d i e s "MGR". REFERENCE '> o f ,' This i s ragarding the Chief M i n i s t e r S h r i n.G.Ramachandran and the f u n c t i o n i n g of his party•AIADNK. Surya I n d i a : November 1985, pp. 4 4 - 4 5 . / T e u / a r i , f 1 a n j i l F!r Clean Going Unclean? ^u P- a. u fPi Reg. the f i r s t r e s h u f f l e of cabinet by S h r i R a j i v Gandhi. Tully^ark Operation Blue-Star-The Untold Story. and Oau-«b, Satish. Caravan: November (1st),1985,pp.17-18, % ' l/arsha Rani Caravan: October (2nd) 1985, pp. 27-28. Shah has- no popular support. IUI:Ncvember 17-23, 1985, pp. 32-35. Reg. the prospects of the Shah government i n Dammu and Kashmir. (b) Newspapers 3ain,Girilal Tragedy Of Indira Gandhi. The Times o f I n d i a : I-An Unfair Comparison New D e l h i , October 31,1985, p . 8 . With Nehru. V Jain,Giriial Jain,Girilal Surendra Mohan Tharyan,P. Tragedy Of Indira Gandhi. II Unresolved Leadership Question. \ Tragedy Of Indira Gandhi. Ill-Decline of Corgress Party. Prospects of regional politics. Dilemma o f the B3P. The Times o f I n d i a : New D s lhi,November 1,1985, p . 8 , Tha Times o f I n d i a : New Delhi,November 2,198.5, p. 8 . I n d i a n Express; New Delhi,November .1,1985, p. 8 . The Hindustan Times; New Delhi,November 2,1985, p . 9 . AUTHOR 12 - TITLE REFERENCE Barman ,'Ashis The Contours of P!T;s v i s i t Abroad. Patriot;Neu D e l h i , November 2,1985, p.4. Uniyal,B.N. Continuity And Change: A neu perspective.. Patriot:New D e l h i , November 2,1985, p.4.. The author comments en the performance of Shri Rajiv Gandhi during the course of his f i r s t year in office. PlVs Moscow visit-Why t h i s hullabaloo. Patriot:Neu D e l h i , November 3,1985, p.1 . Se-thi,H.S. P o l l Uith A Difference. National Herald: Neu Delhi,November 3,1985, p . I I . Zakaria, Fatma,R. I n Defence Of I n d i r a Gandhi. The Times of I n d i a : Neu Delhi,November 3,1985, p . I . Sen Gupta Bhabani A Year Of Living Dangerously. Indian Express (Magazine)Neu D e l h i , November 3,1985,pp. 1 & 3. Reg. Shri Rajiv Gandhi's on year i n o f f i c e . Kakati,Satis K. Gearing Up For P o l l s : New Patterns of Assam Politics. The Statesman: Delhi,November 4, 1985, p.6. The Intiia-China Dialogue: The Times of India; Need To Define LimitationsjMeu D e l h i , November 4,1985, p.8. » Editorial Uncertainty In Kashmir. Reg. the political scene in Kashmir. Seth ,S.P. India-China Relations. The Times of I n d i a : Neu Delhi,November 4,1985, p.8. The Hindustan Times: Neu Delhi,November 4,1985, p.9. • - 1 3- • REFERENCE TITLE AUTHOR Mahajan, Lok Adalat Morality. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,November 4,1985, pp. 9 & 13. 1 National Herald: New Delhi,November 4,1985, p.5. K r i s h an Useful'exchange of uieus. Singh Reg. Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi's recent' unscheduled v i s i t tu !vioscou. Ghos h jShyama-l^i India-Bangladesh Relations. The Hindustan Times: Neu Delhi,November 7,1985, p.9. Editorial Assam Elections Indian Express: New Delhi,November 8,1985, p.6. Editorial Assam Poll. N a t i o n a l Herald, New Delhi,November 8^1985, p.5. • N a t i o n a l Herald* New Delhi,November 8,1985, p.5. Khilnani,N.M. Centre-State relations Editorial Elections Ip Assam. StThe Statesman:Delhi, November 8,19S5, p. 6. Editorial Contentious The Times of I n d i a : * Neu Delhi,November 8,1985, p.8. Poll. R e q. the forthcoming e l e c t i o n s i n Assam. Editorial f Ch«ice I n Assam. ReQ. the e l e c t i o n s i n . Assam scheduled t o be held- on December 16,1985. Krishan Kant Why The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,November 8,1985, p . 9 . Should Go Nuclsar. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,November , * 8,1985, p.9. REFERENCE AUTHOR Editor ial Waiting For A Accord". The Statesman: Delhi,November 12,1985, p.6. Hari 3ais inch Strong Centre,Strong States. Indian Express: New Delhi,November, 12,1985, p.8. Kashyap, Su bhash C . Daua-har Ial Nehru and Par liament. Indian Express: New Delhi,November 14,1985, p.6. Menon,N.C. Bomb:To Have Or Not To Hav/e. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,November 14,1965, p.9. Noorani,A.G. Supreme Court & Ordinance Raj. Indian Express: New Delhi,November 15,1985, p.6. Choudhury, Anuaruddin Assam's Other V a l l e y - I HOLJ Sylhet Uas Lost B t Not Cachar. The StatesmansDelhi, November 15,1985, p.6. Choudhury, Anuaruddin Assam's Other Valley-II No Case For Separating The Statesman: Delhi, November 16,1985, p.6. Editor ial Editorial Editorial Governors •;~R"aj Bhavan Changes. n a t i o n a l Changes Editorial "^Governor's Editorial "^Reshuffle reshuffle. of Governors. ^R e g. the recent r e s h u f f l e of governors .by S h r i Rajiv Gandhi. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,November 16,1985, p.9. Indian Express: i New Delhi,November, 16,1985,p.6. The Times of India: New Delhi,November 16,1985, p.8. Patriot:New Delhi, November 16,1985, p.4. National Herald: New Delhi,November 16,1985, p.5. -* 15 AUTHOR TITLE .. REFERENC E Coushisfa,Atul Rajas th^n NeuslE3tter«Mr. 3oshi Shous S ig ns Of Intoler a n c e . Rsg. tha expansion of Rajasthan Council of Ministers. The Stat esman :Delhi, November 16,1 985, p. 6. Chopra,V.D. Significance of PFl's visit to Vietnam. Patrilt:iMeu Delhi, November 18,1985, p.4. Sinha,Araii Report on need for Patriot:New Delhi, governmental discipline. November 18,1985, p.3 4. Krishna Kumar The Shillonq Accord Uhat Has It Achieved? The Hindustan Times: New Delhi, November 19,1985, p.9. Sinha,b.K. National IntsgrationH«u Nit T« Promote It.,. The Statesman:Delhi, November 20,1985, p. 6. Editorial Citizens Sans Vote. The Hindustan Times: New Delhi^November^ 20,1985, p.9. RGQ«'the amendment of tha citizenship law. Fienon, N.C. Selective Indignation. Bhatnagar, Rakesh. Rsg» the proceedings of the current uinter session of Parliament. * The Outlines «f "Myaya Panchayats', The Hindustan Times: Neu Delhi,November 20,1985, p.9. Patriot:New Delhi, November 20,1985, p. 4. s Raman,D.Sri Patriot:.Neu Delhi, ( Variant Of November 20,1985, minirrity politics. p.4. Reg. the formation if United Minorities' Front in Assam. Goyal,D.R. Assam After A c cord. National Herald: Neu Delhi,November 20,1985, p.5/ AUTHOR 16 - TITLE REFERENCE S ah ay , S . Governor And Lau o f Contempt. The Stat'esman: D e l h i , iMov/ember 21,1985,p.6. Editoria 1 Assam Minortias. National Herald: New Delhi,November 22,1985,p.5. ongress Federating The C .Party. Sethi,3. D. Reg. the need for re-structuring of the Congress party. Ra^at,R.S. Army Tied I n Traditions Importance «f Selecting The Chief. > * Editorial ,• Congress (I) and,Polls. I n d i a n Express: Neu Delhi,November 22,1985, p.8.- The Statesman: Delhi,November, 23,1985,p.5. National Herald: New Delhi,November 25,1985, p . 5 . Editorial Assam Elections. I n d i a n Express: Neu Delhi,November 27,1985, p . 6 . Raman,3.Sri Pollsand P o l i t i c s of "homecoming". Patriot:Neu Delhi, November 27,1985, p.4. 0jha,A.3.. Armed Forces as Seen i n neuspapers-I. Patriot:Neu Delgi, November 26,1985, p. 4 . Armed Forces as seen 4_n newspapers-II . Patriot:New Delhi, November 27,1985., p.4. Ojha,A.B. . Rohan Sav/ing Assam's' Identity- - The Statesman: Agreement Ignores D e l h i , November Economic. Needs. ,27,1985, p . 6 . Editorial Bombay's Han In Jaipur. The Statesman: Delhi,Novsmber Re9« the appointment of Shri Vasant Rao P a t i l 27,1985, p . 6 . • as the Governor «f • Rajasthan. REFERENCE AUTHOR Editorial Stakes in Assam. r Reg. the forthcoming elections in Assam. Editorial Sideshou To Assam. Reg. the forthcoming elections in Assam and other bye-elections, National HsraUr Neu Delhi,November 27,1985,p.5. The Statesman: Delhi,November 29,1985, p.6. Suri,Surindar Presidential Prime Minister-New Trend In Indian Politics. The Times »f India; New Delhi,November 30,1985, p.8. Editorial The Statesman:Delhi, November 30,1985, p. 6. Tha Contest In nssam, - Reg. the forthcoming elections in Assam. •• • « * • .» " - 18 CHAPTER - I I NOTES ON 3UDICIAL DECISIONS IN ELECTION MATTERS. Under section 106 of t h e Representation cf the People Act, 1951, the High Courts are required to send a copy each of the orders passed by them in election petitions. dame Similarly, undar section 116 of the Act, t h e Supreme Court i s required t o send a popy each of the orders passed i n e l e c t i o n appeals* Gists of these orders are published in t h i s chapter with a vieu t o acquainting readers of the s a l i e n t p o i i t s of these o r d e r s . This issue contains t h e § i a t s of 3 judgments of High Courts « two from the High Court of Judicature of Bombay and one from Rajasthan. All t h e three e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s were dismissed by t h e respective High Courts. In a d d i t i o n , t h e judgments of the Supreme Court i n tuo appeals against t h e judgments of Punjab High Court and Patna High Court a r e also reproduced i t full. While dismissing Civil Appeal No. 65O(NCE) of 1975, r e l a t i n g t o the General Elections t o the Pu«jab L e g i s l a t i v e Assembly held in 1972 from Najitha constituency, t h e Supreme Court has made a forceful appeal t o Parliament t o consider the question of participation in election by the employees of public sector undertaking^v/is-a-vis Government employees i o a l l i t s aspects and to bring forward necessary legislation. *" I N THE HIGH COURT f>" ;;;. [CATURE AT bCr-..-?-Y (ELECTION P E T I T I O N i v J , 2 LJF 1 9 6 5 ) K h a n Yakub Y u s u f . - . Petitioner Versus — Parubai Chandrabhan Uagh and J28 ot iers including Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer and Chief Electoral Officer and Election Commission of India* . • Respondents Through this petition, Khan Yakub Yusuf Khan, was an elector from 67-Nasik ^assembly constituency and who had filed his nomination from 94—Erandol assembly constituency, challenged the election of Shri Parubai Chandrabhan Uagh to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 94-Erandol assembly constituency in the general election held in March, 1985. The petitioner filed alonguith his nomination paper, a certificate issued by the Electoral Registration Officer, Nasik assembly constituency in which it was certified that the name of the petitioner stood included in the electoral roll of 67-Nasik assembly constituency in part No. 122 at 5.No. 363. The Returning Officer did not treat filing of this certificate as due compliance with section 33(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and rejected his nomination papers. The case of , - 20 the petitioner was that filing of the said certificate was due compliance with law. His further contention was that ha had requested the Returning Dfficsr to grant him tirna to file an extract from the electoral roll; but • his request uas turned doun. According to the petitioner, reasonable opportunity uas wrongly denied to him to rebut the objection. In the light of the Supreme Court decision in Paru Ram Us« Spit. Prasani ( AIR 1959 SC .93) and Parada Prasad Us. Chagan Lai (AIR 1969 SC 395) etc., the High Court held that the provisions of section 33(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 are mandatory and as the mode in which the Returning Officer has to be satisfied is provided therein the candidate must adopt that mode. It added that filing of the impugned certi-ficate was not a compliance with the legal provisions.. It added that the Electoral Rggistration Officer wad not at fault in issuing this certificate instead of an . extract of the roll as the petitioner himself had applied for such a certificate only. As regards the pleading of the petitioner that time was not granted to him to file t'ha extract and thus he was denied reasonable opportunity to rebut.the objection, the High C-ourt held that in the present case - 21 no adjournment was necissai-y as the petitioner had not compliad with legal provisions which uers raquirad to be satisfied at the time of filing nomination papers* This dsfect could be curod till the of nomination. scrutiny The present case was .therefore, not covered under section 36(5) of the Representation of the People Act> 1951* The High Court noted that the Returning Officer had issued a memo to the petitioner pointing out the defect although ha was not legally bound to do so; but he did not make good the deficiency. Tha High Court therefore dismissed the election petition with costs. *- el. — IN THE HIGH COURT uF JUDICATURE MT oui'ib/.Y (ELECTION PETITION NO. 10 OF 19b5) rtrvind Baturao Chavan . • • Petition r - Versus Pladanrao Ganparao and othars • Pisal ... Respondents The election petition was filed by Shri rirvind Baturao Chavan, a defeated candidates, challenging the election of Shri Madanrao Gatjpatrao Pisal to the Maharaabtra Legislative Assembly from 262-Uai constituency in the general oloction held in*March, 1985. He sacured 37,231 votes as against 38,074 votes socun-rd by the elactod candidate. ,1025 votes were rejected. He alleged that thsrs uas improper reception of votes inv/alid/in favour of Shri Pisal and rejection of valid votes recorded for him. The counting Supervisor and his two Assistants in each table did the work of scrutiny and sorting simultaneously uith the result that his counting agents could not.keep proper watch. He claimed that 400 valid votes favour were rejected as invalid. cast in his He alleged that his request for recount of all the votes uas urongly - 23 rejected by the Returning Officer although the Returning Officer ordered recount of ballot papers in the 6th round nt Table I before the declaration of the result* Shri Pisal raisod objections to tho maintainability of the election petition on the ground that Shri Chavan did/not comply with section 81(3) of the Represeataticn of the Peoples Act, 1951 in as rffiuch- as tho copies of the petition served on the respondent were not duly attested by the petitioner to be true copies of the petition and that the petition did not contain the statement of material facts. No evidence was led by him to establish the objections. The High Court, therefore, rejected these ! objections, The High Court held that the counting was done in accordance yith the provisions of the Act, Rules and Commission's directions. It also'upheld the decision of the Returning Officer in- not allowing a recount of"all the ballot papers and rejected the request for Courts order for inspection of invali d ballot papers and: re count of all" ballot papers, • • The election petition uas dismissed by^ the •High Court vide its order dated 17.8.85. ' : - 24 - IN THE HIGH COuhT OF JUDICATURE FOR RMJJnSTHaN AT J..IPUF* BENCH, JAIPUR, (CIVIL uiFilT PETITION NO, 892 OF 1984) Nand L a i Sharma . « * Petitioner —t Versus — 1. Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan, 2. Union of India. 3. Election Commission of India, and others. . . . Respondents The petition uas filed by Shri Nand Lai Sharma, uo claimed to be a freedom fighter. It was alleged that the Representation of ths People Act, .1951, as amended from time to time, was ultra vires the provisions of the Constitution particularly articles 324, 330 and 332 mainly for the following reasons. 1. The Act does not secure for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes the right to enjoy the reservation of seats made for them under articles 33Q and 332 of the Constitution in the House of the People or in the Statex Legislative Assemblies as the same constituencies are being continuously reserved for "he Scheduled Castes" and Scheduled "Tribes throughout the Past six elections and other members of the community are deprived of "their right to contest from such constituencies* - 25 2, The law permits hugs expanses to be incurred by candidates and therefore persons with' poor resources are prevented from contesting elections; and 3, Under the provisions of Chapter III of Part II of the Met, the anti-social ©laments and undesirable citizens are not made disqualified for contesting elections and the candidates are not required ta declare their assets* The Raj as than High Court rejected all the contentions of the petitioner and held that there is no force in them. Regarding Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution, the Court held that these article fixed the number of seats to be reserved for Scheduled Caste-sand Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies respectively* The rwanner and method of allocating a reserve seat is provided in .Section "9(1 ){d) of the DeliMtatidn Act, 1972, and such reservation is made by the Delimitation Commission and the Court observed that there is nothing wrong with the provisions of the Representation, of the People net in this regard. As regards the contention of the petitioner relating to so-called huge expenditure limit prescribed for every Assembly Constituency and Par 1 iam&fvt ary Constituancy, the Coaft held that the limit of expervdifcure ia in fto way d|^.erinn.naroty - 26 - and does not deprive a poor person of his right to contest the election as there are occasions when the candidates who have spent meagre amounts have won the election. Fixing an outer limit does not mean that a person spending lesser amount is deprived of his right to contest an election. Therefore, the provisions of the Act do not curtail any right of a.citizen to contest election because of his inability to spend the huge amount as per the limit kept for assembly or Parliamentary Seat, , • . In so far as corrupt practices during the conduct of elections are concerned, the Court observed that there is no provision in the act encouraging corrupt and evil practices during the election. Rather Section 123 of the Act specifies the corrupt practices under which election can be challenged by means of election petition and as such the provisions of the Act cannot be declared • ultra-vires. The petition was dismissed on 19.9.1985. - 27 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CIUIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION PETITION FOR SPECIAL LEAVE TO APPEnL (CIVIL)NO.7822 0 F ' (Under a r t i c l e 126 of the Constitution of India from the judgment and order dated 2.5.85 of the High Court of Judicature at Patna i n CU3C No. 1265/85). Krishna Ballabh Prasad Singh - • . Petitioner Versus - Sub-Divisional Officer Hilsa-cumReturning Officer Islampur assembly . . Respondents constituency and Ors, jhe petitioner, S h r i Krishna Singh and respondent contest assembly seat constituency Prasad No. 4 S h r i Rain Syroop Prasad, besides several other Legislative Ballabh for the Bihar *- from 197-Islampur Mssarbly at the General E l e c t i o n held i n the month of March, 1985. Shri Krishna Ballabh Prasad S ingh^contested as a Communist" Party Cand idate while S h r i Ram Syaroop uas the Indian Congress party candidate. The p o l l National i n the above mentioned constituency took place on 2nd of March and the counting of votes uas taken up on 6th March. that after the counting it transpired at 61 booths 90% or more votes had been c a s t . Allegations Singh uera of booth capturing by Shri made by Shri Ram Suaroop and the K.B.P. - 28 Election Commission of India ordered repelling in 60 polling stations . One of the aforesaid 61 booths namely, Booth No. 60 was not included in the repolling as the votes cast at this polling station were secured in reasonable proportions by the candidates. Rgpoll was accordingly held on 12.3.85 and after counting,the petitioner wa3 secured the found to have majority of votes namely 54,352 i.e. 274 votes more than Shri Ram Suaroop. , Though Shri Ram Suaroop filed an application for recounting, the same uas rejected by the Returning Officer and an oral announcement was made to the effect thlt Shri Krishna Ballabh Prasad' Singh uas elected to the assembly. A certificate of election in Form No. 22 uas also delivered by the Returning Officer to him . Immediately thereafter, the Returning Officer directed the Assistant Returning Officer to draw up the fair final result sheet, While so doing, the Assistant Returning Officer detected that due to some lapse, which is described by the Returning Officer as " clerical error"-, the votes polled at the abovementioned polling station No. 60 hadnot been taken into account uhile drawing the grant! - 29 - total and arriving at the' final result' of election. « By taking into account the votes cast at this polling station No, 60 in favour of the above mentioned two candidates, the votas polled by Shri K.B..PrasaJ Singh and Shri Ram Suaroop Prasad nou came to 54,429 and 54,858 respectively and not s54,.352 and 54,078 as earlier arrived at mistake. by On realizing this serious lapse and the grave mistake, Returning Officer immediately wrote a letter to Shri K.B.Prasad Singh explaining to him the correct position and intimating that the •result of the election had been urongdy declared in his favour. By that letter, the Returning Officer also cancelled the certificate of election granted by him earlier to Shri K.B.Prasad Singh and told him that he (Returning Officer) uas making a revised declaration in favour of Shri Ra m Suaroop Prasad, which he eventually did. • Aggrieved by the above, a writ petition No. 1265 of 1985 uas filed by Shri Krishna Ballabh Prasad Singh before High Court of Patna under articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India, challenging the revision of declaration of result'by the Returning Officer. The petition uas first heard . by a Division Bench comprising of two judges, uho differed in their opinions. The petition uas theh. referred to .a third judge. - .3 0 The High Court by a majority judgment of 2:1 dismissed the writ petition on on the following grounds: - 2nd Play, 1985 , 1. The bar contained in article 329(b) of the Constitution of India the Court had no jurisdiction to entertain any application under article 226 challenging the order of the Returning Officer. 2. Provisions of section 66 of Representation of the People net, 1951 were attracted wherein it is laid down that the manner for' declaring the result of the election is as "provided by this Act or the rules made thereunder". Hence all the prescribed formalities had to be gone through accordingly to complete the process of election. The process of election continues till the declaration of th.e result is made and trie manner of Peking the declaration must be as laid down under rule 64 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 namely, declaring the result .in Form No. 21C and certifying the return in Form 21E to the Election Commission and other authorities. 3. a 'returned candidate' according to section 79{f) means a candidate whose name has been published under section 67 as duly elected. Uqtil any °f the candidate was returned according to the prescribed procedure, the Returning Officer had the necessary authority tu correct his mistake. 4. The decisionspf the Supreme Court in (1) N.P.Ponnuswami V . The Returning Officer (AIR 1952 SC 64) and (2) Plchinder Singh Gill A/. The Chief Election Commissioner (MIR, 1978 SC 851) were relevant in this case too wherein it was ruled that the word 'election' connotes the entire procedure to be gone through to return a candidate to the legislature. - 31 - /for 5. The petitioner's remedy lay in filing an elsction petition and the Court should not grant the relief prayed/by the petitioner; in its writ jurisdiction. a petition for special leave to appeal was filed before the Supreme Court against the judgment and order dated 2nd May,. 1985 uf Patna High Court which the Supreme Court dismissed at the admission stage itself by their Order dated the 12th H U gust, 1985. The Supreme Court has also upheld the view that the writ petition was not maintainable in view of the bar under article 329(b) of the Constitution.' The Supreme Court had observed that the election process comes to an end.- only after the declaration of result of election was made in Form 21C as laid down in Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and the consequential formalities of sending copies thereof to the Election Commission and other authorities were completed. Th e Supreme Court further observed that the Returning Officer in the present case had not prepared the declaration in Form 21C and had not sent the copies thereof to the authorities, concerned and that the mere announcement by the Returning Officer that writ - 3.2 petitioner namely Shri Krishm Ballabh Prasad Singh j had been electee! and even the grant of a certificate 'of election' in Form 22 to him could not be of any avail to him, as the grant of such certificate uas contemplated under Rule 66.only after the declaration of result by the Returning Officer in form 21C read uith Rule 64 and section 66 of the Representation of the People act, 1951, The Supreme Court has, therefore,, held that the present -controversy could be aglitated only by an Election petition anJ not by means of a writ petition. The full text of,the Supreme Court's judgment is given in the following pages. " 'The petitioner and the fourth respondent contested an election to the Bihar Legislative Assembly seat from the Islampur Assembly Constituency in March, 1985. After the .votes had been polled, the counting of votes was taken up. on March 6,1985. Pursuant .to allegations made by the parties, the Election Commission of India . ordered re-polling in sixty stations. D n the conclusion of the re-poll the votes usre counted and the petitioner uas found to have secured more votes than the fourth respondent. The fourth respondent applied for a 'recount of the votes but the Returning Officer rejected the application and announced that the petitioner had been duly elected to the Assembly. A certificate of election in Form 22 under1 rule 66 of the Conduct of ~ 33 Elections Rules, 1961 was granted to the petitioner. It seems that the declaration in Form 21C was not prepared under clause{a) of rule 64 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 and sent to the authorities required thereunder. The Returning Officer, on discovering that the ballot papers of o-ne booth had not bean counted, took those votes into account and thereafter issued a notice cancelling>the election of the petitioner and declaring the fourth respondent to be the successful candidate. A declaration in Form,21C was then prepared declaring the fourth respondent to be the elected, candidate, and a fresh certificate . in Foi»22 was issued. The petitioner filed a writ petition in the Patna High Court challenging the declaration made in favour of the fourth respondent, A Division Bench of two Dudges of the High Court heard the writ petition and on a differarce between the two the case was referred to a third 3udge of the High. Court, The third 3udge agreed with • the view taken by one of the Dudges of the Division Bench that the writ petition must fail because of the bar imposed by clause.(b) of Article 329 of the Constitution and that an election petition was the proper remedy. In this petition for special leave against the majority judgment of the High Court, the only question is whether the bar enacted in clause (b) of Article 329 operates against the writ petition. Learned counsel for the petitioner urged that the petitioner is entitled to maintain the writ petition and to." contend that the returning officer had no-power.'to cancel the election of,the'petitioner and declare the fourth respondent elected. It is submitted that the process of election was completed as soon as the counting of votes was* concluded and a certificate of election in Form 22 was granted to the petitioner certifying that he had been elected, and therefore no question arose of the. petitioner filing an election petition. What is challenged, says ~ 34 the petitioner, is the declaration by the returning officer thereafter that the fourth respondent, and .not the petitioner stood elected. Uo see no force in this contention. The process of election .set forth in the Representation of People Act, 1951 consists of sevoral stages and towards the end it requires a declaration of the . . . . result of the'election. Section 66 of tha Act provides that'when the counting of votes has been completed the Returning Officer must declare forthwith the result of the election " in the manner provided in this Act or the rules made thereunder"* Thereafter, under section 67 the result of the election is reported by the Returning Officer to the authorities specified therein and the declaration is published in the Official Gazette. It may be mentioned that according to section 67A of the Act the date on uhich the candidate is declared by the Returning Officer under Section 66,to be elected is regarded as the date of election of that candidate. NOD, as contemplated by section 66 the declaration o'f the result of the election must be in the manner provided by the Act or the rules made thereunder. The procedure for declaring the result of the election is set forth in rule 64 of the Conduct of Elections Rules> 1961. Rules 64 provides! . •f64i Declaration of'result of election and return of election. The returning officer shall, subject to the provisions of.section 65 if and so far as they apply to any particular case, then (a) declare in Form 21C or Form 21D,as may be appropriate, the candidate to whom the largest number of valid votes has baen given, to be elected under section 66 and send signed copies thereof to the appropriate authority, the Election Commission and tha Chief Electoral Officer; and (b) complete and certify the return of election in Form 21 £ and send signed copies thereof to the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer." - 35 It is plain that the declaration envisaged by the law that a candidate has been elected is the declaration in Form 21C or Form 21Q. The declaration in Form 21 C 'is made in a general election and the declaration in Form 21D is made when the election is held to fill a causal vacancy. It is now settled law that the right to vote, the right to stand as a candidate for election and the entire procedure in relation thereto are created and determined by statute. Accordingly, uhen section 66 of the FtePresentstion of the People Act, 1951 provides that the result of the Election shall be declared in the manner provided by the Act or the Rules made thereunder, the declaration can be effected in that manner only. The manner is clearly expressed in rule 64 of the Conduct of Elections Rules,1961. There is no other manner. There must be a declaration in Form 21C or Form 210. The announcement by the Returning Officer that the petitioner had been elected has no legal status because the declaration in Form 21C had not yet been drawn up. Even the grant ;of the certificate of election in Form 22 to ths petitioner cannot avail him because rule 66 contemplates the grant of such certificate only after the candidate has been declared elected under section 66,/ which refers as back to rule 64 and therefore to Form 21C, There having been no declaration in Form 21C at the relevant time, the grant of the certificate of election in Form 22 to the petitioner w'ps meaningless. Ue are of opinion thatf the process of election came to an end only after the declaration in Form 21C was made and the consequential formalities were completed. The bar of clause (b) of Article 3*29 of the Constitution came into operation only thereafter and an election petition alone was maintainable.. The writ petition cannot ba entertained, ' . - 36 Learned counsel for the petitioner contends that it uas not open to the returning officer to antedate the Form 21C draun up by him by placing on it the date on which he originally announced the result of the election* That is a ground bearing on the merits of the dispute between the parties, which as we have observed must properly bo the subject of an election petition. The petition for special leave fails and is rejected. - 37 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CIVIL APPEAL NO. 650(NCE) OF 1975|. Kirpal Singh, f'l.L.A. . . Appellant - Versus _ Uttam Sinoh & Another • • Respondents 3 U. D, G E f'l E _N T Chinnappa R^ddy, 3_. Shri Kirpal Singh uas elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Majitha Constituency at the general elections held in 1972. His election uas set aside by High Court in aq Election Petition filedby one °f the defeated candidates on the ground that .the nomination paper of another candidate uas, improperly rejected by the Returning Officer. The nomination paper of* one Basant Singh had been rejected on the ground that Basant Singh uas a development officer in tha employment of the Life Insurance Corporation and uas therefore ineligible to seek election to the Assembly under tha Staff Regulations of the -• 3 8 Life Insurance Corporation. - The High Court took the view that if Basant Singh defied the Staff Regulations and sought election to the Assembly he'might have made did himself liable to disciplinary action but that/ •• hot disqualify him from seeking 'election to the Assembly. So the nomination paper of Basant Singh was' held to have been improperly rejected and the election of Kirpal Singh'was set aside. His election having been set aside he appealed to this Court under Section 116A of the Representation of the People Act. While admitting the appeal, this Court made an interim"' order enabling the appellant to attend the Assembly and sign the register, without participating in the proceedings or voting and without drawing any remuneration. Without meaning any disrespect to the Learned judges who made the interim order we think that where an election is set aside for no fault of his, such as a corrupt practice committed by him or his agent or a disqualification suffered by him, but on the ground that someone else's nomination had been improperly rejected, the more appropriate order would perhaps be to grant an absolute stay so that the Constituency may not go unrepresented for no fault of either the elected or these who elected. - 39 Subsequent to the filing of the appeal, there have bean three more general elections * The present appeal has thus become wholly infructuous, indeed a • aad commentary on the legal process; Though the question raised is an important one which may arise again and again in the future we do not propose to make any pronouncment upon it since we think the. 'matter is one which should receive the consideration . .of the Parliament and suitable legislation be enacted. Under Art. 191(1) of the Constitution a person.shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council of a State '(a) if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State sp'ecified in the 'First Schedule, other than an office declaredTy" the Legislature. of the State by law not to disguality•its holder; (b) if he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court; (c) if he is an undischarged insolvent; (d) if he is not a citizen of India, or has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign State, or is under any acknowledgment of allegience or adherence to a foreign State; (e) if he is so disqualified by or under any law made by Parliament. Chapter III of the,. Representation of the People A c t which certainly is a law made by Parliament within the meaning of Art, 191 (J )(e) of the "Constitution enumerates - 4 0some further grounds of disqualification for membership of Parliament and State Assemblies. In particular we may refer to Section 10 which says, "Disqualification for office under Government Company - A person shall be disqualified, if, and for so long as, he- is a managing agent, manager or secretary of any company or corporation (other than a co-operative society) in the capital of which the appropriate Government has not less than twenty-five percent share". The clear'and undoubted object of Art. 191^1) (a) to (e) and the provisions of the Representation of the purity and integrity of the election process by preventing Government or State employees from taking part in the elections. But then section 10 appears to confine the disqualification, in so far as it relates to employees of Government Companies to the 'top-brass' only if such an uncouth expression ,may be alioued to creep into the judgment of a Court. Now of a days the activities^/the State ara so manifold and prolific that the State has bean forced, in the interests of better .management and administration and in order to further the Directive Principles of State policy, to set up various Corporations which are but more instrumentalities of the State.-. Is the principle of Art. 191 (1 ) (a) then to be extended to" employees of State Corporations also by enacting appropriate laws under Art. 19i(i)(e)? - 41 Or are employees of Public Corporations- to be treated differently from employaes of the Government? Argi not some of them in a better position to exert undesirable pressure,, than Government employees? On the other hand., are a tremendously large number of employees of Public Corporations to be denied the opportunity ,of being chosen, as representatives of the People ? Do all the considerations applicable to Government Employees equally apply to employees of Public Sector undertakings? Is there no distinguishing feature?,Are a large mass of highly or moderately literate people to be denied the right to speak for the people? Is the right to be elected, to be confined, without meaning any- disrespect to anyone to the professional politicians only? These are some of the vital questions posed and which require to be answered., Jhe answer should be best given by the elected representatives of the people themselves, Ue are not shirking the decision of these questions but our decision can only be confined to interpration. Not so, Parliament which can decide upon the Policy** That is why, we recommend to- the Government to have the matter examined by the Law Commission very early. When a suitable occasion arises in the future we will, of course, deal with the matter, probably helpad iy new legislation.. - 42 The High Court has auareded costs against the appellant. That was uncalled for. that part of the order. other questions. Ue sat aside uJe express no opinion on the The appellant will receive his remuneration for the period for which ho was elected as a legislator. 3... (O.Chin'nappa Reddy) i (OS.Ve nkataramiah) 3. 3. 3. (U.Balakrishna Dated: Octobor 9, 1985. • . (R..B. Misra) Eradi) 3. 3. (U.Khalid) - 42 CHAPTER - III CASES ,0F DISQUALIFICATIONS During the month of November* 1985, 14 persons were disqualified und9r section 1OA of the 'Representation of the People Act, 1951 for their failure to lodge their accounts of election expenses' as requirsd under section 77 of the Representation 'of the People Act, 1951 within the time and/or in the manner required by law, Thei names and addresses of these persons are appended. The period of disqualification imposed by tho Commission on Shri Bhola Nath Sur, Santipara Basnbari, P.O. Dibrugarh, Assam under section 10A. of the Reprossntatidm of the People Act, 1951 vide its order Nu.-.76/AS-U/83(19 to 23) dated the 7th November, 1983 was reduced from 3 years to 2 years in exercise of the powers conferred by section 11 of the said Act vide its- order No. AS-LA/123/83 dated 1st November, 1985. - 44 ~ NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE PERSONS DISQUALIFIED UNDER SE'CTTON 1QA OF THE "REPRESENTATION O F ^ PE-0PLE . - S«No» and Name of constituency. Name and address of the person disqualified, ______________ ORl'SSA HOUSE OF THE PEOPLE 1 ^ Mayurbhanj (ST) S h r i Dashmot Marandi,. U i l l , Sarasposi, P.O. Sunagodia, Distt.Piayurbhanj, , Orlssa. • ,1. 90~l/arthur 2. 90-Uarthur 3. 4. _ _ - Z _ Z Z Z Z - - Z Z Z _3_ Z Z Z Z Z l Z Z - 'Z Z 1 - - 2 Date of Date on which disqu-ali- disqualificatfication. ion shall stand removed __». automatically, 7.11.85 ' LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ' S h r i ' IM.Krishnachar i , 7.11 .85 Ramamurthy Nagar, . DoOp*uaninagar P o s t , Bangalore-36. ' Shri Kodairasan, 700,Periyarnagar, Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, Bangalor e—5, 7.11.88 7,11.88 7.11.85 7.11.88 90~Uarthur S h r i 3ayarama Gowda,7.11.85 Chikkabanaswadi, Banaswadi P o s t , Bangalore~43. 7.11.88 90-Uarthur Shri A.N.Sajeeva. R.addy, 7.11.85 •370, Outer C i r c l e , . Uhite f i e l d , Bangalore South Taluk, Karnataka. Contd..'. 7.11,88 - 45 1 1 I 1 ! 1 1 1 1 1 - I LI 2 - _ 3 4 F1ANIPUR 1, 1-Khundrakpam S h r i Leifanthem Sagor, pang ex, fqanipur. 7.11.85 7,11.88 2 , ' 8-Lamlai Shri,Telom Nityai, Pungdong bam, Flanipur. 7.11,85 7.11.88 3 . 8-Lamiai Shri Thongam Piuhindra Mestei, Uangkhoi Khunou, Manipur. 7.11.85 7.11.88 Sh'ri Prafulla, At Kuladahani, P»0, Naupada, D i s t t . Mayurbhanj, Orissa, 7.11.85 7.11.88 Shri Hahidas Nag, At-Salbani, g , ' D i s t t . Mayurbhanj, Orissa. c Shri Bisuanath Murmu, I / i l l . Hahgibhol, P.O. Kendua, D i s t t . Mayurbhanj, Oris.sa . 7.11.85 7.11.88 7.11.85 7.11,88 7.11.85 7.11.88 ' . OrilSSA 1. 6-Kuliana(ST) ' i 2, '6-Kuliana(ST) 3. \ 4, 9-Khunta(ST) 66—Bhanganagar Shri Trilochan Pradhan, Vill. RajUkunda, P.O. Sanokada-nda, Distt. Ganjam, Orissa. Contd... 1 m 2 _ 3, 4_ ORISSA(Contd.) 5. 135-Sund rqarh S h r i Bhramarabar Gardia, 7.11.85 7.11.83 7.11.b5 7.11.88 l/ill/P.O.Tumulia, Via - Gopalpur, D i s t t . Sundargarhi Orlssa, 6. 144-l<Qanjhar Sh r i Gopal Naik, W i l l . Bramhangaon, P.O. Oharanidhar Collage, Distt. Orissa. ' REDUCTION OF PERIOD OF DISQUALIFICATION s"~N<o.~arKi~~N~m~ pA I*., 14>,iL-nti>'. 1. n f 124-l v largherit3 ' " ^afT>Q and address o f t h e person disqualified.' Date on w h i c h disqualified, , Shri Bhola Nath Sur, Santipara Qashbari, P.O. Dibrugarh» 7.11.83 Q a te uhic uhich disquali fication removed. 7.11.85 CORRIGENDUM At page 65 o f t h e D o c u m e n t a t i o n Monthly -RsOctober ' 6 5 the entry at (1) 3-Jalpaiguri under t h e sub heading Uest Benga'l regarding the, d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n o f Shri Sitansu Bhusan Das may be deleted and the remaining renumbered as "1 to 7 " . entries - 47 CHAPTER-IV DISPOSAL OF ELECTION PETITIONS During, the month of November,1985, the Commission received i n t i m a t i o n about d i s p o s a l of 14 e l e c t i o n petitions from d i f f e r e n t High Courts. Intimation regardinf d i s p o s a l of anappeal in e l e c t i o n matter uas a l s o received from the Supreme Court of India* letails of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s filed, disposed of and. pending in the High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court following(a)General Elections to the L e g i s l a t i v e Assemblies held in 1977~79, (xb)General e l e c t i o n to House of the People held in 1980,(c)General e l e c t i o n s to the L e g i s l a t i v e Assemblies,198i(d)General e l e c t i o n s to the L e g i s l a t i v e Assemblies,1982(e)General e-lection to the L e g i s l a t i v e Assemblies, 1983, (f)General e l e c t i o n s to 'the House of tho People, 1 984, (g )General e l e c t i o n s to L e g i s l a t i v e Assemblies,1984 and (h)General e l e c t i o n s to t h e ' L e g i s l a t i v e Assemblies,1985 are furnished in the eight s t a t e m e n t s ^ ! to VIII) annexed. As on 30.11.85 418 e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s and 3C appeals were pending in d i f f e r e n t respectively. High Courts and Supreme Court A statement(No.IX) shewing the for uhich_ t h e s e e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s in d i f f e r e n t periods High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court are pending also annexed. is STATEMENT - I J0 !\! unb e_er of election^ petitions filed, disposed o f_j_ nendi Tn t h e_ f^,i,3.h_.C.0JiiX?.•-.3Ln..cL A£P.. B . a A s -JSi —th.e..,?jJlP.r.6.mjB j^o, u .rtT*"""" ..... _.. . - -........—..„... - - ^ a s o n n 30,11,1985) ^.}iS.9^J^Jl-,^§^A^;\ P.^ JkD^Ji^.Q. J") iQ. JiP'-'tJi 'Union F i 1 ed T er-itory. 21 9 3 «G ihar 31 "1 5 19 74 19 28 13 1 9 6 16 18 2 8 37 1 14, Punjab (1977; 15.Hajasthan(i977) 16Sikki(i97^) 17.Tamil Nodu(i977) IG.Uttar Pradesh (1977) 19,U e st Bengol(i977) of Upto" t h e '"During"the* ToTa'I end of month i a s t month I.Andhra Pradesh(i 978) 2.Asosmji970) 4.Hr P .y3nal977) S.Him^chal Prad esh(i 977) 5.3ammuSK ashmir (1 977) .7.Ks. r natal<a(i978) 6 .K K le (r ai lSa 7 ( 777)) g. M ad hy a Pr ad0 sh (1 9 7 7) 1G G .H H ah hha rt a(s ih (t r3a 7 (i8 7 ) 11 .Pleghalaya(i978) 12.Nagal?nd(l978) 9 {7i 77 )) i 3 .0, i0{i i. a Disposed 21 9 31 7 5 19 74 19 28 13 .1 9 6 16 18 2 8 37 1 iLPr"e2 in" " t h e lsp"S'b"ed PenBir^yFi 1 e*d *"D .Name of S t a t e / - 49 - 1.D s lhi(i977) 2.Goa -Oman & Diu(i9 77) 3.nizoram(i979) 4.Pondiche rr y(i977) TOTAL 4 1 2 2 4 1 2 2 333 333 333 4 1 2 2 '- 1 2 1 2 1 2 72 69 69 STATEMENT - I I Number, .of . jp.etTtio.n^ ^E o V P. ^ tiT"1 .No.Name of StatTe/ J^ij^UjPJlJ^y.jt Union T e r r i t o r y __ F i l e d ........PJjsj^pjsE^ JD/~ Up to' DurTng* ~" t h e end t h e of l a s t month _ f'io.n'th ^ _ . . . . . _ . . , . . . ^ ~ ~ . ~ ~ • • " - 5 - " 4 ••""""" 1 14 1 11 2 1 1 2 1 1 4 6 2 1 1 1 1 1 A 5 1 2 1 2 14 2 1 1 1 2 13 2 1 7,Arunachal Pradesh 1 IB'.Dslhi 2 19.Dadr3&N.Haveli 1 1 2 1 1 • An cJ n r a P r ad esh • 2.Bihar S.Gi.'j'arnt 4 # Hafyana 5,Himachal i-'radesh 5 .3 arnm u &K a sh m i r 7,Karnataka , 9.rladhya Pradesh •lO.Msi-ierashtra 11.Ox i S sa 12.Rajasthan 13..Tamil Msdu v i4.TrIoura 15.Uttar Prsdesh 16.'uiast Bengal 59 52 - _ Pending Yot'a 1 ~ d Oj^ose_. Upto the During end of the l a s t month month Tot'aT 12 5 1 11 2 1 1 1 1 1 4 5 1 1 1 2 13 2 3 1 1 1 1 3 t 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 10 10 1 1 — 51 STATEMENT - I I I TO the Hiqh Courts and appears in the SfuoremV Court. ' . _ . _ , _ ._„-._..»«—»-_„»«« ..._._..._._ .._...., (As on 31.11 .1 985) Election .E_etiti_onsin ^ n e ^ ^ ^ ^ Appeals A l in_ i tti S . N o . N 3 m e fo State/ ^our_£ f l * l _.J^§_D-S.sed. _gj "'riled_ll__"* disposed of" Per>ding Union T e r r i t o r y . F*iled___ _ , Up to t h e Du'ring" _ _ Upto the During Total end of month t h e Total end of the last month last months ___^ JHOiltiL,— " ^ 5 ~""~ 8 11 12 9' 3 3 3 39 12 27 27 1.S ihar 1 1 1 5 4 2.G ujarat 4 1 2 2 2 8 8 8 3.K. er a la 5 5 5 23 23 Pradesh 23 4,n 1 1 1 4 4 4 5.H am bur 2 1 1 1 16 16 ahar-a'shtra • 16 6 # nr i s s a 4 4 4 2 7.0 un j ab 11 41 42 • 1 41 8.P aj as than 17 "3 20 17 2 9 9 9.R Tamil Nadu 11 17 17 17 3 5 5 '2 8 1 0 . Uttar P-radesh 27 29 27 1 1 1 1 1 1 . Arunacha-1 Pradesh 1 1 2 Goa,Daman&0iu' 12. 2 2 13.. PondichGrry 1 1 14. 37 45 37 TOTAL' 19 192 211 192 •STATJEFIENT-Iti 5iM.JiL ,JrJL£U^ Number of election petitions filed,disposed of, pending in t h e H i_2lLj^o y r j ; s a r l £ l J i P £ e a l A JJl^Jxe $MPVelTle C S~.l\loTName of State/ Union T B r r i t o r y ^J,e Filed LHimachal Pradesh 12 12 12 5 2.Haryana 27 27 27 17 3.Kerala 15 14 .14 1 8 7 7 1 63 . .6.3 4,Uest Bengal S^Nagaland . , , . ,,_.JL TOTAL 66 _^D_is_p_o_s_ed> pf^ _ M _ ^ ^Pending F i l e d ^ ^___ _D i s^£s e Pending Up to the During the T o t a l Upto the g* *t*he""To tal end of month end of mon t h last last • month 10 3. . 4 3 15 4 3 15 4 2 2 Jl I —V HI GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE LEG ISLATIUE .ASj^riBUJj^JjJ^,' of election S~,FoT"lfame o f ~S Union T e r r i t o r y ...ULs«-°n Jty.,vlXv. et1 Upto the end of last month ___ During month hPJ?3M.\s i n the Supreme Cojjjrt ^ i ^ec'_———™J2i£E£ls e.d™9,t ..^. E ending --Upto th'e "Durin'g t h V To*t*a*l end of month last theTotal 1. 1 . Andhra Pr ad esh 2.Assam 3«3ammu & Kashmir 4.K arnataka 5 .Ne-^halaya 6.Tripura 7.Dp.ini TOTAL 39 34 34 5 6 3 3 3 76 22 5 4 14 14 62 21 1 21 4 5 2 2 °..ntiL _ __ _^___ l Z ]11 £ l I I I i ~ ~~ "~.fo"-"~~ ' " i 4f 7 2 6 14 166 m 86 8 7' 7 9 16 4 4 12 STATEMENT - V I 3 f i l q d ,dispos_ed_ jrfJa_^Ejndj^ng__ i n ^ M S^Ua'Mam'e' of S ta"t ef' - Union T e r r i t o r y Upto During the the end of month last month / • ' * C3 J- p X • B.Hadhya Pr ad e s h 9.Maharashtra 1Q»0rissa 11 . U t t a r Pradesh 12.Uest Bengal 1 3 .Laksh adu eep 1 4.Dacfra & N . H a v e l i 15,Delhi. TOTAL Filed ' DisposedJof """Pending Upto th e IDuringTo t a l end of the last month month Total . -.™- 1 2 1r, Andhra Pradesh 2 . Bihar 3 .Guj ar at 4.Haryana 5^3 ammu&K ashmir 6»K arnataka ^..Pending F i l e d , . . .._»JU.s41as.aR. 4 5 5 2 2 2 1 ' 1 2 2 1 .1 _ _ 5 ~ > ' — — 1' 1 t — ~ — 1 5 ~ _ 2 . — _ 1 1 4 50 1 15 6 5 5 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 8 6 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 12 14 36 i n i ti"iciv I —U I i G£NERJIJ- JELECJION IS £ O j m E , M3LV 8umber of election p e t i t i o n s fil_ed,dispoised of H h ""Court " C t and d appeals l i th S C t High in the Supreme'Court* _ i • S .'|\TO*7N ame of S"tate/ ^ X § ^ . . ^ . S . ^ . . i j _ Union T e r r i t o r y Filed __J?JLspo.sJlct. jS.f. . _ , Pending Upto "'D'uVing*""""""" T o t a l ' the the end of month last ' month J7. 1 . T am i<l f'J ad u " 5 5 v 2.! lanipur 4 4 3.Arunachal Pradesh 1 1 4.Goa,Daman&Di_u m -TOTAL 1 T 12 1 1 Fi .in_.th, Li §LGLSJL?ii J3/ ^ ,E e.n d i n g Upto Durinny T n F a l the the month end o f last month 10 "11 1.2 G_EjjE_R_AL JJ-ECllflNS_J_q, _THE LEG ISLATIVE .ASS l S. No. Name of S t a t e / Union T e r r i t o r y .El^t^i Filed . _ _ _ _ . . , , . - • • — « ~ ^ . . . . _ _ . ^ - S C . . _ . During the month Total " 1 1 . Andhra Pradesh 2 .Bihar 3 Gujarat 4 H imach a 1 Pradesh 5 . 6 .. fiah ar ashtr a 7,riadhya Pradesh S.Orissa g.Rajasthsn 10 .Sikkim 11 .Uttor Pradesh 12.Pondicherry TOTAL 17 45 9 12 26 %6 54 8 24 2 74 1 298 2 10 5 1 2 4 25 t .„, - -- 3 3 1 i 13 8 2 2 5 36 16 44 9 8 26 13 46 6 24 69 1 262 - the - ij\_y-jj3 n Co*urT.~ Pen"d*in*g Dispo s ed of Upto" the Dur ing end of the last mon th month '*9 ' " " 11 1.2 . P e t i t ions.,in_th e H_ig_h Court. Disposed of Pending Filed Llpto t h e end o f • last month "•~a ^ STATEMENT-IX p e r i o d s f o r uhiph .eje ^ I t i g ^ s _irx, ,t_h e, JjJ,Q,h, Jd2jiEJL§. and appeals i n S e m s C j 3 u r t a r d i Name of S t a t e / Union T e r r i t o r y Less than 'Between Between Between Over a year 1_-2 j£ear_s 2-3years 3-4vears 4ve,ars Andhra Pradesh Assam Bihar Gujarat Haryana HitnachalPrndesh 3 ammu&K ashmir Karnataka Kerala riadhya Pradesh, Maharashtra 5 2 2 1 49 10 1 8 2 27 47 14 4 Manipur 5 3 fleghalaya Nag aland 7 Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu 24 "" Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uest Bengal Arunach alPr ade-sh Delhi Lakshadueep Mizoram \ Goa,.Daman&Diu Pondicherry Dadra&N .Haveli TOTAL 6 1 3 '1 lei 1 17 BT Of 25 ' ~ 58 CHAPTER - V yHgMCY At t h e j n d STATEMENT o f November, 19G5, t h e r e existed 21 vacancies i n t h e H-use o f People and 4 vacancies v in the Cpuicil of States. In the Legislative Assemblies of various States, there existed 18 vacancias whereas in the Legislative Councils of various States,' there uere 134 vacancies. A statement showing details of vacancies is given in the following Pages, - 59 -, ABSTRACT - I Total number of seats in Council of States .and Legislative Councils and (As on 30.11.85) S'.fJoT "Nafne^oT S"ta"te"/"~ C'ou'nc'iT "ofSt-atea LecTis'la'tXvB' C'ou'nc'il Union Total Vacant . T o t a l •Vacant-''' _ _ LeTTLf-2.Tl*^ _> j.C R C R __1~ _ _ I _2 3" T4 5__ __~_6 1 G_ 1. Andhra Pradesh 2. Assam >. 3. Bihar 4 . Gujarat 5. Hary.gna 6. Himachal Pradesh 7. Jammu & Kashmir 8. Karnataka 9. Kerala 10. Madhya Pradesh 11. Maharashtra 1 2 . Manx pur 1 3 . Fleghalaya .14. Nag aland 15. Drissa 16. Punjab 17. Rajasthan 18. Sikkirn 19. Tamil Nadu '20. T r i p u r a 2 1 . U t t a r Pradesh 2 2 , Uest Bengal UNION TERRITORIES: 10 7' 22 11 5 3 4 12 9 16 19' 1 1 1 10 7 10 1 18 1 34 16 1. 2. 3.. > 4. 5. 6. 7. 0.. 9. 1 ,1 ~ 3 « 1 1 Andaman & N. I s l a n d Arunachal Pradesh Chandigarh Dadra & N. H a u e l i Delhi Goa,Daman & Qiu Lakshadw.sep Flizoram Pondicherry Total; 232 — 1 - «1 1 ~ - 3 - '- ' 96 — -, „ 1 36 63 - ~. 1 « • - - 7 8 — ~ * 63 ~ « 1 1 8 « . _ . * . _ ' . » • . - 100 ~ -. ~ ~ — -, 444 -• 34 — « 8 21 . - x ' « « 1 * ~ «•• « 21 - 39 - - «. - »_ - -. — -, -. — -, - 3 131 C~ = rJas'ua'l^vac'aincTes", " "" " " ."" R « Vacancies d U e to retiremant. ND: Details of vacancies are shown in the enclosed statement ~ 60 ABSTRACT -II Total number of seats jn the.Houso of the People and State Legislative Assemblies and vacancies. (As on 30.11.85) HT. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. G. 9. 10, 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16, 17. 1&, 19. 20. 2$. 22. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5/ 6. 7. 8. . Name~of 5tate/ITcUse of People" ""Leg g i s l a t i u a AsssmTily Union T o t a l Vacant Vacant Total 42 Andhra Pradesh Assam ** 14 Dihar 54 Gujarat 26 10 Haryana Himochal Pradesh 6 Dammu & Kashmir 20 Karriataka 20 Kerala 40 Fladhya Pradgsh 40 Maharashtra , 2 Fianipur 2 Neghalaya 1 Nagaland 21 Orissa 13 Punjab 25 Rajasthan 1 39 Sikkim 2 Tamil Nadu 85 Tripura 42 Uttar Pradesh Uest Bengal 1 UNICJiM TERRITORIES: Andaman & IM.Islands 2 Arunachal Pradesh 1 Chandigarh 1 ' Liadra & N. Haueli , 7 Delhi 1 LakshadueeP 2 Goa,Qiaman & uiu Plizoram i h TOTAL: , 542 14 2 294 126 324 1G2 90 >50 76* 224 140 .320 280 60 60 50 147 117 200 32 234 60 425 294 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 -. 2 30 55@ 30 30 21 . 3997 18 * Excluding"™24". s"eats" e'ar'-liia'rksd' "for P'akXst'an' o"cc"u'p"iQ'd' TFrritor> ** Assembly was dissolved on 16.0.1985. •% Pletropolitan Council Constituencies. . • ND:_ Details of vacancies are shown in statement enclosed. Vacancies i n Parliament and State Legislatures. (A3 on 30.11.1985) Name of State No. of seats. vacant. No. and Name of: constituency* Cause of vacancy. Oate of vacancy. Date of poll. . 10.11.04 3.12.35 COUNCI-L OF STATES DY RETIREMENT 1. Jammu & Kashmir 1 By membgrs CA SUAL VACANCIES 1. Gujarat 1 .&/ members Regn. 25 .11.05 " 2, Uttar Pradesh 1 L-y members Reg n. 14 ,5 .85 3,12,05 3. uJ e s t IBengal 1 By members ijaath 27 .1 0,05 3.12.05 - HOUSE OF T.HE PEOPLE 1. A s s e m if 14 A l l the 14 seats v a c a n t. art-1 31 .12.04 . 16.12,05 election n«t held. / s 2. Bihar 2 >/23. K i s a n g a n j Uanka Death Reg n . 2. 7. 05 0.-11 .05 15.12.05 1G.12.05 3. Orissr 1 5, K i n d r a p a r a Regp. 25 a iJ .05 16.12,05 4. Raj asthan 1 3. Churu Death 22 .5 .05 16.12.05 5. Uttar Pradesh 1 5. . G i j n p r ( S C ) . Death 15 .5 .05 16.12,05 6, U G st Iiangal 1 Death 5..5. 05 1G.12.G5 7. D^elhi, 1' Death 31 .7.05 16,12.05 ~ ^ . .Go1pur 2. South Delhi Contd... Remarks LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL^ 1. Dinar 34 Ratn a L.A. -. Retired Nalanda L.A. Gaya L.A. Aurangabad L.A. Nauada L.A. Dhojpur L.A. Rohta3 L.A. Saran L.A• Siuan L.A. Gopal Ganj L.A. East.Champpran L.A. West Champaran L.A. Fluza f farpur L.A. U a i s h a l i L.A. Sitaraarhi L.A. Darbhanga L.A. Fladhubani L.A. Sarnastipur L.A. nonghyr L.A. Begusarai-cum— Khagaria L.A. Chajalpur L.A, Purnea L.ri. K a t i h a r L,A. S a n t h a l Parganas L.rt. (2 | Giridih L . H . Ranchi L.A.(2 seats) palamau L.A. Dhanbgd L.A. Singhbhum L.A. (2 s e a t s ) Madhepura L.A. 11 members Retired on on 6.5.70, 1.1 .members ratirgd on 31,5.bO and 13 members retired on 6.5.02. Information regarding constitution of local (Members of constitute the electorate of local authorities constituencies), is awaited from the Chief Electoral Officer. - I I J1V_ 2.3ammu & Kashmir 63 *• -.1 0 3. Karnataka 21 Oy MLAs (Tahsii Kargil) (1 seat) Retired Dammu province (4 s Q ats) Retired Kashmir Province (3 seats). Retired Didar L.A. Gulbarga L»A. Dijapur L.A. Delgaum L.A. (2 seats) . Uttara Kannada L.A. Dharuad L.A. (2 seats) Raichur L.A. Dellary L.A, g Shimoga L.A,L.A. Dakshina - Retired Chickmagalur L.A. Hassan LoAt .Tumkur L.A. flandya L.A. Bangalore L.A. Kolar L.A. Kadagu L.A. Mysore L.A* 5.9,04• 11.9.04 retired on 1.7.70, 7 .members retired orr 14.5.00 and 7 members retired on 11.6.02. Certain local, bodies yet to be consfcltutad, Z~2I2*;-:'Z-ZOL!% 4» Waharashtra 8 Naaik UA. Pune L.A» Osmanabad-currH* Latur-cym Deed Aurangabad L.A Parbhahi L.A. Raigad-cumS i ng h du rg-cii mRatnaglri L.A. ii 'Retired. Retired 7.7.02 27,6.84 Qua to non-BXistance of local bodies biannial elections can't be held. —do— Satara L Amrayati 5. Tamil Nadu 21 Chengalapattu LA Retired 21.4,74 Reconstitution of tha Madras Corporation(the members of uhich constitute the electorate) i3 awaited. . Retired 21.4.76 ReOanstitution of local bodies awaited. Retired 21.4.70 Nilgiris L.A. (2 seats) Wadurai L.A, . (2 seats) Tirunaueli L.A. (2 seats) North Arcot L.A« (2 seats) South Ar^ot L.A, (2 seats) Tirunchirapal'ly- pu (2 seajfcs) Kanyakumari Li A. —do*- - 65 - Tan.il Nadu(Contd. 6. U t t a r Pradesh Thgnjavur L.A. (2 seats) S a le rn—=.• ha r a mpu r L. A. (2 seats) i"; a ma na t ha pu r a m L./i, (2 s s a t s ) 39 T e h r i Gartiual 1;. Garhual L.a. Kumaon L.A'. Ploradabad-Lij nor L..U KampurL.areillay L.a. bailaun L.A. PilibhitShahjehanpur L-«H Hardoi LoA. K h e r i L.A. S i t a p u r L.A. Luckn^u-Unna L . H Rae L a r e l i L . M . Pratapgarh L.A. Sultanpur L.A. Car3 [ a n k l L.A. Gahraich L.A. Gcnda Li A. FaizaLjad L»A. L a s t i L.A. Gorakhpur L.A, Deoria L.A, AZamgarh L . H . p l l i a L.A. hazipur L.A. Hatired 21.4.U0 Local r e t i r e d on 5 , 5 . 0 0 and 13 members r e t i r e d an 5.§,u2. iorj bodies of - 65 "" **." 4 ~2 1 Uttar ) Pradesh( 3atinpur L.A. Varanasi L . A . BirZapur L.A. Allahabad L.A. Danda-Hamirpur L.A. 3h.ansi-*3alaun— l a l i t p u r L.A, Hetir 26 members r e t i r e d on 5.5.00 and 13 members r e t i r e d on 5.. 5. 02. of local bodies awaited. Fatahpur L.A. Etauah— FarruKhabad L.A. Agra L.A. Mainpuri L.A. (2 seats) Aligarh L.A. Dulandshahr L.A, Weorut. Ghaziabad L.A. ; Muza f farnagar— Saharanpur L.A. CASUAL VACANCI ES 1 . 3ammu & Kashmir 2. : Maharashtra 3. T a m i l Nadu 1 By Kashmir Panchayat Regn. 11*6.03 1 Dy I'lLAs Death in.10.05 Regn. 24,11,65 1 Madurai— Ramanathapuram Teachers' Constituency. - Panchayats in Kashmir province have not . been constituted. •- 6 7 - "" T ~ ~ " " 2 •LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES 1. Cihar 111-j Kisanpur Death Death 0.5.05 C.4.85 16,12;05 16.12,05 140- Sayajiganj Death 24.9.05* 16.12.05 ReQn* 20.9.05 9.9.85 2 2. Gujarat 1 3« Haryana 2 14-Zlundla 63-Dh.adra 48-Qoda 4. Jamrrm & Kashmir Declaration dated 10o4.03 of result uas cancelled and ' repoll ordered in 16 polling stations vide Commission's order dated 22.5.03. The Commission's order datad 22.6.03, cancelling, the RO's declaraticn of result and direction of rspoll in 16 polling statir:ns uas stayed by 3 & K High Court on 29.6.03 in writ petition No,. 291/03. On appeal by the Ca.r^jission the Supreme Court, vacated the High Court's stay order on 19.7.03, and directed the High Court to dispose of the writ petition expaditiously. The High Court decision in the writ petition is still awaited* 5* Karnataka 1 115-Chamaraja Death 14.11.05 23.1.06 6. Kerala 1 lll-Ranni. Death 22.3.15 23.1.06 - 60 - ~5 ^&C~ mm •*•* 7. Maharashtra 4 '•). Tamil Nadu 1 1 C, Liast Oengal 2 11. bolhi 1 177-Signapur 271-S.a.ngli 253-3aoli 15l~Armori(ST) Death Regn. Death - Election -declared Moid, ' * • !• m^ 3.9.85 19.11.B5 120,1*1:85 30.11.85 16.12.05 30-Oullundur North Death 28.9*05 16.12.05 31-aullundur Central Death 20 • 9.05 16,12.05 50-Cheyyar Death 9*9 . 8 5 15,12.65 220-NamertsC) Regn. 7.6 .05 6.1 1.05 16.12.05 15.12.05 Daath 4.9 .05 16.12.u5 2-Luxmibai Nagar • Metropolitan Council. The poll uas countermanded du8 tc death of candidate on 7,9.05 during the general, elections to Legislative Assembly of Punjab. — do— - 59 CHAPTER - VI COMMISSION'S, VIEUS ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ELECTIONS, " ,. The programme to hold simultaneous elections to 14 Lok Sabha and 126 Assembly seats in Assam on 15th December, 1985 uas announced by the Chief Election Commissioner on 6th November, 1985. The programme to hold pending bye—elections to 6 Lok Sabha seats and eleven assembly seats in the various Legislative Assemblies as also election to one seat in the Delhi Metropolitan Council, was also announced on that date. Later, two assembly bye-elections from Haryana and one from Kerala were postponed by the Commission. The relevant press-clippings reporting the ' announcement and postponement respectively of tho above mentioned elections are reproduced in full in the following pages. - 70 - ASSAM ELECTIONS ON DECEMBER, 1G. Elections Sabha state to th > : 14 seats from Assam and the assembly w i l l pollinq on-December i n the 126 seats ba held in 16. C h i e f E l e c t i o n Commissioner, situation holding i n Assam when the the Assam C h i e f by the R.h.Trivedi, review of feasibility present. The C h i e f Election the Mrs. P.P. Commissioner pending and Trivedi, also bye-elections Lok Sabha seats and 11 assembly seats of of Mr. R.Pradhan, Secretary, were among those rest the i n the s t a t e was c o n s i d e r e d . Th e Union home S e c r e t a r y , announced t h a t Mr. an h o u r - l o n g elections the in a singls-day The much—awaited announcement came today a f t e r Lok the c o u n t r y as w e l l to in as one seat six the in the D e l h i M e t r o p o l i t a n C o u n c i l would be held simultaneously December the polling i n Assam on 16. The two been caused M.P. with bye-elections by the death o f i n D e l h i have Mr. Lalit Maken, Congress from South D e l h i and Mr. A r j u n Das, Congress member o f the Metropolitan from Laxmibai Nagar, who were s l a i n Council by terrorists. - 71 - Tho -election to tho nssam assembly was not due yet —# the last election having bean held in February, 1983 - but the assembly was dissolved on August -18 last in terms-of an unwritten agreement between the Centre and representatives of the All Assam Students Union, The election to the Lok'Sabha seats from P-ssarn and Punjab were not ha Id in December last year when the country (jent to the polls. In Punjab, it was due to the uncertain law and order situation, and in Assam according to Mr'. Trivedi, owing to a commitment made by the Election Commission t:. tha Supreme Court that election in that state would be held only after an intensive revision of the electoral rolls. The revision had not been completed by December last. The Chief Election Commissioner told ~ieusmen that the final electoral rolls, which had been intensively revised through house"-to-houso enumeration, would be published tomorou u'hen the commitment to the Supreme Court would be fulfilled, rir. Trivedi also announced that the three vacancies existing in the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, U,P. and West " would be filled through bye-elections i< i — 72 'December. He, hcuevar* could not announce the dates because the polling would depend on the assemblies in these states being convened. Ths elections in Assam uill be the culmination of the six year long agitation launched by the All Assam Students Union against "'foreig ners" in the state towards the latter stages of tho 3anata rule at the Centre. Two attempts made hitherto to hold .elections to the Lok Sabha seats from the state had failed. In the 1980 general election candidates u/bro able to file their nomination papeas in only two of the 14 constituencies. Only these tuo constituencies, in Cachiir, uere able to sand their representatives to Parliament. In 1983, elections were held in the remaining 12 constituencies. But ouing to large-scale rioting and carnage pollino was formally completed in only five of these constituencies. In the 1983 assembly elections simultaneously held with the Lok Sabha poll, polling could not be completed in 17 constituencies ouing to the large-scale disturbances. All the seats in the • . , - 73 - assembly remained vacant. Polling in many of the constituencies was so low that the Congress government installed after the election was always on the defensive against the AMSU campaign, to • oust it from power. The accord with the AASU, announced by the Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Ga n dhi, from the ramparts of the; Red Fort on Independence Day, brought an end to the political uncertainties in the state, Within three days, the Chief Minister, Mr. Hiteswar Saikia, advised the governor to dissolve the assembly. steps All these paved the way for holding the election. However, ths election could not be announced immediately owing to the"fact that the intensive revision of the electoral rolls had, not been completed. The present revision has been done on the basis of March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date. This, however, does not complete the Election Commission's task, after the polling, a new•revision for eliminating the names of all those who had migrated to the state between January 1, 1966 and March 24; 1971 will begin under the terms of the accord. - 74 For the present flection, the following programme has been announced: Issue of notification: November 15, Last date for filing nominations; November 22; Scrutiny of nominations: November 23. Last date for withdrawals: November 25, Polling date: December 16.The results will be announced from December 17.. This will leave one full month for the convening of the assembly which has to be summoned . latest on 3anuary 17. : This election programme will also be observed for the 11 bye-elections to the different state assemblies, six seats to the Lok .Sabha and one seat i'n the Delhi Metropolitan Council* The Lok Sabha seats are from Kishangunj(Bihar), Kendrapara (Orissa), Churu (Ra jasthan) , Bij nor (U..P» ) , Bolpur (Uest Bengal), and South Delhi. The Assembly seats are from Kishunpur and Madhopur(Bihar), Sayajiganj(Gujarat), Gundla and Bhadra (Haryana), Ranni(Kerala), Signapur(Maharashtra), Jalandhar North and Jalandhar Central(Punjab) Cheyyar (Tamil Nadu)and Aurangabad (Uest Bengal). Times of India, Now Delhi, 7.11. .85. 75 — ^S POSTPONED The Election Commission has postponed tu/o assambly bye~3lsctions slated for i n Haryona and Kerala, December 16. Announcihg t h i s hare on Friday, the Deputy Election Commissioner , Mr . \1 .Ramakrishnan, t o l d neusmen that assembly bye-elections uere scheduled to be held from 3undla and Bhadra constitue nc j>as i n Haryana. after it they were .postponed uas brought to the Commission's that some more l e g i s l a t o r s notice had resigned from the Assembly and the Speaker uas expected to tabs a decision i n this jegard i n a week. The bye-election from Ranni uas postponed as the state govarnment expected heavy rush and difficulty i n maintaining law and order due to the Sabarimala festival* The n o t i f i c a t i o n s ,fbr the three bye-elections were scheduled to be issued on Friday. Mr. Ramakrishnan added. The Lok Dal leader, Mr. Devi L a i , u'ho resigned i n protest against the Punjab accord, uas re-elected fr'bm t h i s constituency. - 16 - Meanwhile, n o t i f i c a t i o n s for holding assembly bye-elections i n six states and for one seat i n ths Oslhi Metropolitan Council uors issued on Friday. The constituencies are Kishanpur and Marine pur (Eihar), Sayaiganj (Gujarat), Signapur(Maharashtra), Jalandhar North and Jalandhar Central(Punjab), Cheyyar(Tamil Nadu), Nanur (SC) and Aurangabad (Uest Bengal) and Laxmibai Nagar in South Delhi, Indian Express, New Delhi, 16.11.85. - 77 - CHAPTER - Mil Recognition/Reg istratiun o f polit.mml ".part is a. under the Election Symbol(Reservation and Allotment! Order, 1968. l\janaland People Party made an application for registration under1 para 3 of the Election Symbols Order, 1958, It contested the Lok Sabha General Election held in December last year from Nagaland as an unregistered political association. On the basis Of its poll performance it uas found eligible for registration under the above paragraph. Therefore it has been so registered for the first, time in Nagaland* The Commission's notification is appended (Appendix-I), . 3ammu & Kashmir Panthers Party was a registered political party under paragraph 3 of the Election Symbols(Reservation and Allotment)Order, 1968, It contested the Lok Sabha general election held in December, 1964 in 3ammu & Kashmir. On the basis of its poll performance at the said general election in 3ammu and Kashmir State. It uas recognised as a State Party under para 6(2)(B) of the Election Symbols Order, 1968, for parliamentary elections from 3ammu & Kashmir State with the reserved symbol 'Bicycle'* The notification issued by the Commission in this rsgard is appended (Appsndix-II)• - 70 APPENQIX-I ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA •Nirvachan Sadan', Ashok Road, Delhi-110001. Oated: 8th October, 1985. 16 Asvina,1907(SAKA) NOTIFICATION S»0» - Whereas the Election Commission of India has considered the application of Nagaland People Party for registration of that association under paragraph 3 of the Election Symbols(Reservation and Allotment) Order,- 1958, as a political party, and the documents produced in support of the prayer contained in the said application anal has decided to register that association under the name and style of 'NAGALAND PEOPLE PARTY' a s an un-recognisQd political party in respect of the State of Nagaland under the provisions of paragraph 3 of the said Symbols Order, subject to the following conditions: — (i) The party shall communicate to the Commission without delay any change in its name, Head Office, Office bearers and their addrsssas,pclitical principles, policies, aims and objectives and any change in any other material matters; - 79 (ii) The party shall intimate the Commission immediately whenever any amendments are issued to party constitution alonguith the relevant documents like the notics for the meeting to consider amendments, agenda for the meeting, minutes of the meeting where - the amendments have bean carried; (iii) The party shall maintain all,the records like minutes books, accounts books, membership registers, receipt books etc. properly; (iv) Th e said records shall be open for inspection at any time by the authorised representative(s) of the Commission; and (v) Thg registration granted shall b e reviewed by the Commission from time to time. Now, therefore, in pQrsuance of the provisions contained in clause (c) of sub—para (1) and sub-para (2) of paragraph 17 of the Election Symbols(Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, 'the Election Commission of India hereby makes the following amendment'to its Notification No, 56/84-1, dated the 13th Novembar,1984 as amended from time to timeJ — In Table 3 appended to the said notification, under columns 1 and 2 after tha entry "14-Pondicherry Mannila Makkal Munnani - Pondicherry", the entry "15-Nagaland People Party - Nagaland" shall be inserted, /"NO. By Order, Sd/~ (R.P.OHALLA) SECRETARY - GO - APPENDIX~II ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA••• • 1 Nirvachan Sadan', Ashok Road, * ' New Delhi-110001. Dated 5th November. 1985. Kartika 15, 1907(SAKA) NUTIFICHTION S«0«~ Where the. Election Commission of India is satisfied that as a result of its poll performance at the general election to the Lok Sabha held in December, "1934, in the State of Garnmu & Kashmir* the 3ammu & Kashmir Panthers Party which is a registered unrecognised political party under para 3 of the. i Election -Symbols(Heservation and Allotment) Order,1968 is entitled for recognition in terms of paragraph 6{2)(D) nf that Hrder; And whereas the Commission has decided to recognise the 3ammu & Kashmir Panthers Party as a State Party in the State of Damrnu and Kashmir and reserve the symbol 'Dicycle' for the said party in 3amrnu & Kashmir State; and, Nou, therefore, in pursuance of clauses (b), (c) and (d) of sub-paragraph (1) and sub-paragr3ph(2) of paragraph 17 of the Election Symbols(Reservation and Allotment) Urda.r, 1360, the Election Commission - 01 - . hereby wakes the following amendments in its notification No, 55/84-1, dated the 13th November, 1984, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3{iii), dated the 16th November, 1904, as amended from time to time,, namely — (1) In Table 2 of the said notification, in the entries relating to Oammu and Kashmir, under columns 2 and 3, the entries "3o Jammu and Kashmir Panthers party ... Bicycle" shall be added. (2) In Table 3 of the said notification under columns 1 and 2. (a) the entry "13, 3ammu & Kashmir Panthers Party. .....dammu & Kashmir" shall be deleted; and (b) the existing entries 14 and 15 shall b s . Co-numbered as 13, 14# (3) In Table 4 of the said notification against the State of "7. Jammu and Kashmir" mentioned under column 1 thereof, the (a) entry t! 2. Bicycle" shall be deleted and (b) the existing entries 3 to 24 shall be re~numbe,red as 2 to 23. recognition granted to 'the above mentioned political party is subject to the following conditions: (i) The party shall communicate to the Commission without delay any change in its name and head office, Office bearers and their addresses' and political principles, policies and objectives and any change in any other material matters; - 02 (ii) The party shall intimate tha Commission immediately whenever any amendments are ^issued to party .constitution'along, with the relevant documents like t n e notice fur the meeting to consider amendments* agenda for the meeting, minutes of the meeting where the amendments have been carried etc; (iii) Tha party shall maintain all tha records like minutes books, accounts books, membership register, receipt books, etc* properly; (iv) The said records shall bs open for inspection at any time by the authorised rapresantative(s) of the Commission; and (v) The recognition granted shall be reviewed by the Commission1 from time to time. Jo. 56/84-Xv"Il7 By Order, . Sd/~ SECRETARY . - 03 - Alleged Defect;.on o_fJ3hr_I Kania 1 nath. 5in^h.KJha kui r, a^.m^mber of Bihar' Leo is laTiv/.a . .C 0ur^^.r^^D*9cTsTgn of th)6 Chairman;, Bihar Laoislatiue Council Shri Prabhu Narain 3ha and four other electors of Darbhanga Graduatss1 Constituency in Bihar filed a petition before the,Chairman of Bihar Legislative Council* under the Constitution (52nd Amendment) Act, 1985 in which it uag alleged that Shri Kam'alfOath. Singh Thakur, MLC, elected to the Bihar Legislative. Council from Darbhanga Graduates' constituency in the election held in April 1984 as an independent candidate had joined INC and had been appointed as the Chief Whip of that party. i It uas alleged th a t because of his admission to the party, he has incurred disqualification as a member of that Council under paragraph 2(2) of the Schedule of the Constitution (Fifty Second Amendment) Act, 1985. Shri Kamalnath Singh Thakur in his written statsment mainly argued that he had all along been associated with the Congress(l) party and had never defected. Since no authorised ~ G4 candidate .was sat up by the Congra3s(l) party in the Qarbhanga Graduate's Constituency in 1984, • •• - as' he contested the electian^an independent candidate and was declared elected. during the poll Before ,g°ing to poll , and after being sleeted to the Coun c il he had aluays baen associated uith Conqress(l) and .uas still associated uith Congress(I). Therefore, he informed the Bihar , Legislative Council on the 6th 3une, 1984 that he would continue as a member of the Congress Legislature Party, Accordingly, arrangement uas me.de for Shri Kamalnath Singh Thakur to sit in the Treasury benches in the House* The next objection of Shri Thakur was that since no rules and Procedure had been laid down to enforce the Act in accordance uith paragraph 6 of the schedule of the Act and other conditions had not been fulfilled, it would not ba reasonable and justified to take decision according to the Act. Shri Thakur had also contended that there uas no provision in the Rules of procedure and. conduct of Business of the Bihar Legislative CounGil that petition by an outsider should be taken into consideration. outsiders. The petitioners concerned were Therefore, it uould not be proper to take cognizance of it. Finally, Shri Thakur argued any that the Provisions of ths Act did not apply in his case, for he haJ naver defected. The Chairman of the Bihar Legislative Conn c il posed this quastion whether, or not Shri Thakur joined any party after 1st.March, 1985 i.s* the date of coming into force of the Act and proceeded to answer that question..In the course of answering the various contentions raised by the petitioners and Shri Thakur, the Chairman observed; "This is a fact that rules have not been framed under paragraph 8 of the 10th schedule as provided under section 5 of the Act, nor a system has been evolved for keeping the records in the Legislative Council "in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph. This is also a fact . that the Rules of Procedure and conduct of Business of the Legislative Council do not provide for considering or taking cognizance of any petition or representation submitted by an outsider in respect of a member of the Legislative Council, but under the present circumstances, I deem it necessary to consider it and also to take a decision on this controversy. Now, it cannot be assumed that because of Rules not having bean framed, no Act shall camg into force. Public opinion or people's ._ confidence is the' mainstay' of democracy* If any doubt arises among the people about the political character and conduct of a Legislature, and being conscious of his activities, his political character and conduct, they put forward any demand f°r his being judgad in the light of the Act, they readily deserve to ba praised. Besides-' this, the object of the Act is to promote political stability, to strengthen commitment to the1 policy, faith and programme of the members of respective- partio-s, and to - U6 prevent .defection every nou and than for selfish atlr's and personal gains.. In the present atmosphere of political instability there .is an strcnc. tendency for formation, disruution> re—organisation, and change of parties among the members, and to stop this it is necessary to enforce this Act strictly, It would be better, if the Rules and procedures provided under the Act is laid down by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the entire legislative bodies of the country should adopt them to ensure 14ni.for.mity in " rules and procedure. Undoubtedly in the absence of Rules and procedures I had to face tremendous difficulties in taking a decision in thi3 rcfatter and this decision has bsen made basically in pursuance of rules provided in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Bihar Legislative Council. In this interest of people's Confidence, a few rules had to be relaxed". The Chairman held that it was evident from the publication °f the Research and Publication Section that on being elected as a member of the Legislative Council. Shri Thakur had informed the Bihar Legislative Council on 6th Oune, 1984 that he would continue as a member of the Congress Legislature Party as before and accordingly hs u as shown as a member of that party in the list published by the Research and Publication Section of the Council and printed by the Superintendence Secretariat Press on 22nd January, 1985. The Chairman added that Shri Thakur was allotted a seat in the INC party and this proposal was approved by the than on 20th August, 1984. chairman of the Council Shri Thakur continued to occupy the seat in the Congress Conches. This fact ~ 37 ~ had been shown in tha various publications of the Council. Further, th-3 Chief Whip of the IMC. certified that Shri Thakur was a member °f their Party and had attended saveral meetings of that Party. This fact urns also borne out by the uarious speeches made by Shri Thakur in the Council in uhich he referred himself as a member of the INC party. - _ The Chairman, therefore, held that Shri Kamalnath Singh Thakur had been a member of the Congress Legislature Party before tha enforcement of the Anti Defection Apt. He therefore, will b Q deemed to be a member of the Indian National Congress in terms of paragraph 2(4) .of the tenth schedule of the Act, which is reproduced belou: "Not withstanding anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, a person who, on the commencement of the Constitution 'Fifty-seccnd Amendment) Act, 1985, is a member of a House (whether elected or nominated as such) that (i) where he uas a member of a political party immediately before such commencement, be deemed, for the purposes of subparagraph (1) of this paragraph to have been elected as a member of such Housg as a candidate sot up by such political party". \ ** • - GO >; - IX FOREIGN ELECTIONS ELECTIONS IN SWEDEN On 15th September, 1905, elections were held in Sweden to the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament),County Councils and Municipal Councils. In the Parliamentary elections ,the Social Democratic Party led by Shri Olaf Palme was voted back to power. In the above context, it will be of interest t° knoy about the election law and procedure of Sweden, the salient features of uhich are reproduced be lout. Prior ..to 1370, the Riksdag or Swedish Parliament was divided into tuo Chambers with equal powers. The Upper Chamber was indirectly elected and one-eighth of its membership renewed each year, while the Lower Chamber was directly elected. suffrage was restricted. Prior to 1921, the In a new reform of 1*910—21, suffrage was extended to women and participation in general and local elections is now universal, mil Swedish citizens who have reached the age of 10 on the date of poll -are eligible to Vote, Since 1970, the bicameral system has given way to a unicameral system with 350 members. The whole Parliament is nou' elected in direct*- proportional and general elections. Doth general andlocal elections -, 89 are held every three years on the third Sunday in September, On the eve of the 1976 election, the number of seats was reduced from 350 to 349, This was to avoid the unseemly situation which existed during 1973~76 when the two parliamentary blocs —Socialist and non-Socialist-were equally represented and many tie votes had to be resolved by draw of lots. Of the 349, 310 are fixed seats appoortioned among the 20 electoral districts in proportion to the number of franchisee! voters in the electoral districts. The other 39 are supplementary or compensatory seats to ensure party composition in Parliament to reflect the national distribution of votes as exactly as possible (The main argument of the advocates of a change-ovar to the proportional system is the reflection of popular votes in the percentage of seats secured by political parties. Sweden has found from its experience that the proportional system is weighted in favour of large parties and this has led that country to provide for compensatory seats taking into account the country as a whole). Only parties which poll over A% of the votes in the eouhtry ~ 90 « as a uhola (cr 12% in a single electoral d i s t r i c t ) [gat a share in the distribution of seats* This r e s t r i c t i o n was imposed to prevent small parties from hampering formation of Governments. Distribution of the 310 fixad seats is dona six months before the General Election. Distribution is done as follows: « 1* Divide the total number of voters by 310 6,096,139 310 2. = 19,665 Entitlement of say, Uppsala constituency is worked out as follows: 171,642(Number of voters in Uppsala)=0»7 19,665 - . . • • • • Quotient 0 Remainder.14,322 This is rounded down to the nearest integer. Therefore, Uppsala gets 0 s e a t s . The remaining seats are to be distributed to the constituencies havih§ greatest remainders* In " x this case, the remainder is 14,322. • -. ./• This was .sufficient to obtain one additional seat to Uppsala making its entitlement 9« The National Tax Board is responsible for election organisation and administration. General Electoral Registers are prepared with the aid of computers* No application ia .nace^sary, Voters are - 91 - selected from a regional magnetic tape register containing the parochially registered population on the 1st of 3une, Persons not entitled to vote for reasons like that they are below the suffrage etc. are omitted. Such registers are issued by the local taxation authorities and then subjected to public scrutiny permitting persons to object to others being included or themselves being excluded. Objections are considered by the county administration at a public session. After the session, alectoral cards (also computer print outs) are distributed to the voters. Thase.cards contain information regarding the location of the polling station, voting hours and other general information. Electoral registers are prepared every year so that these can be used even if there is a snap poll. Out electoral cards are not distributed until elections are imminent* Suffrage requirements: 1. Swedish citizenship (only for voting to the Parliament)J 2, Non—Swedish citizens, who have been naticnaJs-registefed for a period of 3 years are entitled to vote for other elections; 3, 1G years on the day of poll; 4. No legal incompetence; and 5* Parochial registration according to the regional tape register on the 1st of June. - 92 Special electoral raqjster; \ Non-residents of Sweden and who are otherwise qualified are included in a special electoral register. For this purpose, an application to the National Tax Board ig necessary. - One peculiar feature of Swedish election is that ballots may be cast, apart from the polling stations, at any Swedish Post Office, at temporary Post Offices set up at hospitals, old age homes, penitentiaries, Swedish diplomatic and Counsular Missions and on board a number of Swedish merchant vessels. • / Marriad voters may allow thsir spouses to hand ! in their ballot voters, who cannot cast their ballots in person bedaUso of illness etc. may allow their nearest relations or nurses to hand in their ballots. Polling Procedure: ' Polling hours are from a.00AM to O.OOPM. Each voter gets 3 identical envelopes, one for each election. Voters go behind a screened polling booth, place their ballots in the envelopes and hand them over to the Returning Officers togethsr with their electoral cards* Possession ,of the electoral card is not compulsory; but almost all voters bring them. (Voting slips are sent to.every voter by the political parties. They also obtainable from party election offices and are usually available at polling stations as well). f , - 93 The Returning Officers locate the voters in the electoral register,-cross them off the'register and put the ballots in'3 ballot boxes, one for each election. Immediately after the close of poll, all ballots are counted preliminarily, Parliamentary ballets first. The outcome is recorded and the ballots arc put in sealed envelopes* The Election Committee collects the records and ballots from ths polling stations and brings them to the county administration for final counting, Tha county administration carries out the final counting of the ballots of all the 3 elections and the appointment of representatives in the Municipal elections* The National Tax Board appoints the MPs. Uhen all the ballots have been processed, the seats are distributed between parties according to the odd—number method, candidates are ordered within each party according td the d'Hondt method and representatives are appointed. Calculations and record drafts are made with the aid of computers. Political parties! Since the 1930s the' following 5 parties have been represented in Parliament 1• Moderate Party(Formerly Conservative) 2, 3, 4, 5, The The Tha The Center Party (Formerly Agrarian) Liberal party, Social Democratic Party Left Party(Conimunists), • • • •• • a• • • • — 94 •» CHAPTER - . X PRESS REPORTS FI.N ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL SYSTEFLSOF FOREIGN COUNTRIES^ND OTHER NATTERS OF INTEREST. During the month of November, 1905, Press reports, editorials and articles on elections and political systems of foreign countries and other matters of interest appeared in the press. The press reports which are considered to be of special interest are reproduced in full in the following pages, Date Name of Newspaper . Topic 5.11.85 Hindu* Madras 6.11.05 The Statesman, Delhi. Shri Cerezo's win in Guatemala Presidential elections. 7.11.05 Patriot* Regarding Mr. Duliua. Nyerera's retirement from presidency of Tanzania and Shri Mwinyl hauing been sworn in President. \ Hindustan Times, Neu D e l h i . Regarding defeat of Shri Michael Somore and election of Paias Uingti as' Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea through no-confidence motion in Parliament. New D e l h i . 23.11.05 Alfonsin's win in Argentinian poll* - 95 - JL ! il The Argentine President,Mr.psul Alfonsin uon a commanding vote of confidence yesterday uhen his centre-left Radical Civ/ic Union outpolled opposition parties in Congressional elections marred by late-night street clashes. Atleast four persons were uounded as groups of young political r i v a l s , some armed with clubs, battled in scattered incidents across the country* With 71 per cent of the ballots counted nation~ wide, the radicals led with, more than 4.7 million votes or 43.9 per csnt-of the t o t a l . The Peronists^ the leading apposition group* had more than 3.7 million votes, or 34 per cant* T'TS l e f t i s t Intransigent Party got 680,177 votes or 6,2 per cen't while this Conservative Central Democratic Union had 398^5Sf> votes. Argentina has not staged exclusively legislative elections since 1965, Military coups in 1966 and 1976 cut short democratic rule before elections could be held - AP. HINDU MADRAS 5.11. 8 5 . - 96 - CERE.20 WINS GIJATTP^ALAJ^RES IDEMTIAL "ELECT ICNS The moderate, Fir. Viniclo Carezo claimed victory in the Guatemala's presidential election today and asked the second-place candidate to withdraw in the interest of national unity from a scheduled run-off, reports UPI, Thg Statesman, Delhi, 6.11,65 - 97 - EL2£3£ ^J^JJ3JA^ /IV.JJiLK. .$M931L...IN. i l ^ A £ ! ^ I i Tusnty-four years after guiding his country to independence, Hr.3'Jlius fwerere stepped down yesterday from the presidency* He leaves a mixed legacy that includes stability it political and some undisputed social achievements, hut also includes a collapsing state-run economy that* has made Tanzania one of the world's poorest countries* The socialism that Mr.Wyerere hoped uould make Tanzania s e l f - r e l i a n t and classless brought uniform poverty instead. Looking back over his experience,Mr.Nyerere said recently there are certain things I'd probably do differently." Mr.Nyerere has cited too much nationalization and centralization as mistakes. But .,the basic policies of my country I uould Repeat exactly repeat, ^1 uould s t i l l work for a socialist Tanzania He said» self- r e l i a n t , non aligned committed to the liberation of Africa, to the unity of A f r i c a , " Mr.Nyerere gives up the Presidency H;o Fir*Ali H-assgn Muinyl, former president of the semiautonomous islands of Zanzibar and Remba and his former first vies president Mr.Fluinyl, took 92.2. per cent of the vote in the one candidate elections. - 90 - Mr.ftuinyljbC, was suorn in at Tanzanian capital Dar Es Salaam by Chief 3 u s t i c e Francis N y a l a l i , Mr.Nygrere and a large croud looked on at the National Soccer Stadium. After There was no inaugural address. the swearing i n , Mr.Mwinyl was presented with a s h i e l d , a spear and a native s t o o l ----symbols of power and prosperity. As chairman of the Revolutionary Party,Tanzania*s only Party, Mr.Nyerere w i l l continue to wield considerable influence, at least u n t i l 1987, when he has promised, he w i l l q u i t politics PATRIOT N.EU DELHI 7*11*85 entirely. - J9 - PAPPA ,PJ1 P.U sj£fi Papua N eu Guinea's long serving Prime Minister Michael Sotnare' was ousted from o f f i c e yesterday in a no-conf id eric e vote in Parliament, Somare 49, lost the motion in the 109-sest chamber by 57 votes to 51 despite eleventh-hour lobbying among parties in his ruling c o a l i t i o n . To succeed him Parliament chose opposition leader Paias U i n g t i .Somare1 s former deputy who defected in March t h i s year. Somare, who guided the South Pacific to independence from Australia territory in 1975, had been- Prime Minister for eight of the last 10 years. Affectionately dubbed "the chief" by Papua Neu Guinea's three million people, his leadership of a shaky c o a l i t i o n has been under threat for most of this year from p o l i t i c a l r i v a l s * Opposition leader U i n g t i took the Government! s economic perforrrianco and a row over a tough budget handed, doun last week as the grounds for the noconfidence challenge. HINO-USTAN TIMES NEU DELHI 23.11 .85 CKAPT DR.-AMBEDKAR MEMORIAL LECTURE DELIVERED BY SHRI R.K. TRIVEDI, CHIEF ELECTION COMMJSIONER ! OF INDIA Shri R\K« Trivedi, Chief Election Commissioner deli* . versd the Dr. Ambedkar Memorial Lecture at the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi on 21/22.124985. Amhedkar Memorial While delivering Dr. Lecture', Shri' R.K.Trivedi, Chief Election Commissioner of India, traced the history o! election law and the growth of democratic institutions in India- through the ages. He explained how in ancient India and in the Vedic period there were a number of republics? but, however, the prominent type of polity was monarchical. existed both forms of In the Buddist and Hindu period there Government. Village always remained the most important unit of social and economic life ever since the Vedic times. These villages had so much of functional autonomy which prompted Megasthanese to describe them as 'little independent republic, self-contained and self-governed'. In the developed Vedic age, the national life and activities- were expressed through Surmtis or Sabhas. The medieval period which witnessed the Islamic in- cursion.1:, and the Mughal occupation, brought in its wake a rule of oppression which had a demoralising effect on the growth and validity oi the self-governing institutions. • With the advent of the British Rule, there was a virtual extinction of all forms of self-government and disappearance of ancient village communities. Thereafter, only irv 1S70 the first .step to establish links * between - the rulers and the ruled was taken by Lord Mayo, Ini- tially} the members of local bodies and the legislatures at the centre and the provincial ievei were not elected. by and by elective element, was introduced. However, There was growing resentment against the denial of self-government to the Indians. • . - 100B - The reforms introduced in 1909. 1919 and 1935 did not satisfy the aspirations of the Indian people. was also limited. Further, the franchise ft was only after India won independence that the dreams were translated into realit*' and a sovereign democratic republic was constituted. '.'~ Under the Constitutions the superintendence, direction and control of elections are vested in an independent machinery insulated from executive control. The powers of the Union and State legislatures to make laws on election matters are subject to the powers of the Election Commission guaranteed under Article 32^ of the Constitution, Shrl Trivedi staged that in U.K. it took nearly 700 years since the summoning of the model Parliament In 126% to introduce adult franchise in 1928 and that too after bitter straggles. Mo&t o! the other democracies have taken longer .periods to extend franchise to women. The conferment of universal adult suffrage was bold step indeed considering the phenomenal size ol the electorate and the high percentage o! illiteracy and was an act of faith in the native intelligence and practical commonsense of the Indian elector* in his turn, the Indian elector has more than justified this faith by exercising his electoral options in a manner convincingly indicative of his political maturity. / i Article 324 gives plenary powers to the Commission which has been upheld by the Supreme Court in a catena of judgements* Referring to criticisms relating to highly unfair representation of most political parties in the House*, the chronic instability of the party system, the continuous defection of; the legislators and the extreme under-representation of women in Parliament, Shri T.rivedi stated quoting statistics, that the representation of women has been progressively increasing and it ,-w"> t V% ft • - 100C - USA and Australia. He was not in agreement with the panacea- of proportional representation suggested by some political thinkers on the ground that in a huge sub-continent like ours with a federal system, what is indeed most important is political stability and a strong Central Government.. When the 7 national parties have still, to establish their base* the pattern of representation would become more regional under the proportional representation system. Further, by and large, the wilt of the people has been fully reflected in the past in the choice they made. The entire legal edifice "of the Indian electoral law has been built upon the twin articles of faith .viz individual freedom and change through peaceful means through the triple postulates of (a) an enlightened electorate withm the framework} of Universal franchise? (b) rectitude and fair play, on the part of individual candidates and political parties; and (c) an independent neutral electoral machinery. He expressed his anxiety at the delays in disposal of election petitions. Quoting- a number of judgements' of the Supreme Court, he explained how the word 'Election* came to be, interpreted as meaning the entire process to return a candidate*. These judgements" have also held that Article 32^ is a reservoir of power and these powers are not only administrative but-marginally everrjndicative or legislative. • He also invited attention to certain judgements -which have given place to considerable heat and debate One such case was Amarnath Chawla's case in which the Court held that such part of expenditure by a political party which is incurred in connection with the elections of a party candidate and of which the candidate > knowingly takes advantage should be ' included i in the election expenditure of that, candidate, 'To get over - SOOD - providing for exclusion of such expenditure from the candidate's expenditure for the purpose of ceiling on election expenses. While dealing with the recommendations of the Election Commission for electoral reforms, Shri Trivedi highlighted the importance of purity ol elections and felt that the four basic areas requiring immediate attention, through appropriate legal enactment_i3.r,£L._- - (a) Strengthening of the political party system. (b) Curbing the role of money power? (c) Curbs against muscle power and id) curbji. against misuse of media power* He pleaded that a law should be enacted to define political parties, to provide for compulsory registrations compulsory maintenance of accounts, compulsory audit and connected matters. Simultaneous elections to LokSabha and State Assemblies, regu!a~ lion of Company .donations to political parties, introduction of electronic voting machines, reduction in the period of electioneering etc will go a long way in checking the role of money power. To check muscle power, certain non-cognizable electoral offences may be made cognizable, provision should be made for cancellation of poll in case of booth-capturing or other corrupt practices. As for media power* besides continuing the existing .scheme of allowing time on radio and TV to recognised political parties and extending it further by subsidizing time on AIR and TV, the misuse of the media by the ruling party should be treated as a breach of the Code of Conduct. Democracy is meaningless unless there is representative government down the Sine to the grass root level. All these - tOOE local governing institutions should be strengthened and nurtured. The supersession of many local bodies and the delay in holding periodical elections is negation of democracy. This should be curbed. In the context of the courts testing the validity of -election law and procedure against the touchstone of purity of elections,—the rejection of use -of-electronic voting machines by the Supreme Court on technical grounds has delayed introduction of a much needed and over-due reform. The Government has yet to amend the law to enable use of these machines. The enactment of an Anti-Defection Act, amendment of Companies Act to regulate donations to political parties and Supreme Court's decision on 'hukamrsama1 issued by religious bodies etc..show the keenness all around to cleanse the electoral system and raises hopes that the suggestions for other reforms would similarly be implemented. Shri Trivedi viewed with concern increasing use of violence in elections and considered violence to be incompatible with the basic tenets of democracy. He also felt that democracy without high standards of public morality cannot be lasting and thereforef he earnestly pleaded for a value-oriented ethos in which ethics served as a hand-maiden of politics and tolerance, non-violence and persuasiveness informs the people's consciousness as the only means for attaining peaceful change. This alone the could help to make our democracy/clearing house on the future end set an example by striving to achieve the goal of a strong and lasting valuo-orientr'd polity.' . . The full text, of the . address delivered by the Chief Election Commissioner is reproduced in the following pages; !00F DR. AMREDKAR MEMORIAL LECTURE DELIVERED BY SHRINK. TRIVEDI. CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER .' OF INDIA it war. with considerable trepidation that I agreed to accept the invitation to deliver these lectures - first, because t i have bad no formal schooling in- law and secondly, because those who delivered the lectures >n the past! wer-e groat legal luminaries. The experience I have had during the last k years in the implementation' of the election !aws, gave me the requisite courage to accept the honour with humility anrf to present some ideas for consideration by this distinguished gatherings like to begin by offering I would my obeisance unto Dr. Ambedkar, the modern Many whose contributions towards the framing of the Constitution in general and the election iaws in pariicuku*. are too well known to be recounted, should be eternally grateful indeed, the Indian polity to him f«i the manner in which it has evolved and it is as weU that these lectures should be dedicated to him as our silent but respectful homage to thisgreat law-giver* troductorjs The preamble of the Constitution begins with these solemn wordss "We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved constitute India- into a Sovereign, Socialist. Secular to democratic republic...,«,,,,...,.,." The- ultimate sovereigny vests in the people and the people have given into themselves a democratic system.. Though political scientists have defined democracy in a variety of ways, the basic idea underlying the concept has remained virtually the • 101 » same for the past 200 years. According to 3ames Brycej "Democracy has been used ever since the time of Herodotus to denote that form of government in which the ruling power of a State is legally vested, not In any particular class or classes, but ' in the members ol the community as a whole. This means, in communities which act by voting, that rule belongs to the majority, %.$ no other method has been found lor determining peaceably and legally what is to be deemed i * the will of a community which is not unanimous*"' In his own words Democracy really' means nothing more nor less than the rule of the whole people expressing sovereign will by their votes. " In.a recent book captioned "The Emergence ol Democracy" written By Prof. Tatu Vanhanen of the University of Temper© and published .by the Finnish Society of Science & Letters, the author, places India as one of the 30 old democracies during 1830-1979 out of 119 countries studied by him. Elections are relevant not' only for the strengthening of democracy but also for its survival. The electoral laws, therefore, have to uphold not only the democratic system-and' l the untimate sovereignty of the people but also the purity of the election process to enable free exorcise of their will. !. U.Bryce'. Modern Democracies - 1921 VoLI) * {I have intentiorviiiy referred to him as he was the only scholar who presented a paper-on India at the European Consortium for Political Research at Salzburg, Austria held between ••April 13-1S, J9S'O. !t needs, however, to be added almost ri •'• ,,. , *,-<; <s • v' , . <. iipf/i , ,,., i i •* *.: r , . ,,,, • 'i^ the eieciurai -j. ,, » * <(, i .. ii. u ' ."t'-'u ft ',, . , , dows! by ^«.-.rfrij it „ < «-'.r -4A >, '" /- •> ,. £!'/•" the immediately Supreme ^.rtii-h^- - r ,,•; . . v ' t '•' - .1 ~t-"» » u v law^ have to be framed } in fundamental '•,« [ ' f! Court «j wore, ui the consi- *'r,'"- •3'-<J t h e r e f o r e . and interpreted with this primary .consideration in view, backgrout'id: As the present, almost always, reflects, the past, it would be interesting to take a peep into the history of Indi?, both remote and recent, and to see how- far her people have been accustomed to the theory and practice "o( elections and the electoral laws which constitute their basi&« '^n ancient India, there were a number o! republics. j>ut the predominant type of polity and, for of time, the only type, was monarchical* long stretches, Some scholars, are of the_. view . that this was true also of the Vedic period. Majurndar, is s however, ot the opinion that R.C. ''although, some- passages in the Vedic—ittBratt?fe""S?ci-n to' imply the existence.. of oligarchic or republican clans, we caanot come to any definite conclusion on the point,.1*1" K«P,3aiswaS is also of this vi^w as .he holds that early Vedas"knew only of monarchy'* from monarchical Departure form of government appears to have been 2. Majumdar, R.C.it The Age of Imperial Unity, pp*33O-33r. 3. Jaiswai K.P., Hindu Polity, p.2l. ( made in posr-Vecic times, for ^egiiSthehc-s records 'sovereignty, kinship was dissolved ups ia and derncc.tauc government 'set vartous tiisGes- \ T J M&V.<* *^ > ' - : f f v££ o1.'1. rufid '' 0 .' • >' < U " . } .'. dernocrscv c j E^A:.: • (' .- " at the centre, either '• " • -- 'Acuities of its dimensions* urm oi »;^* Vi.hr »i<i t h e m "*• - .1- ' ,•> governed* '" < ' t s < r t, !' ,,f >> , *•• , > ' J i -% • M'(* r-»rt < '•. :ii • • 'h-f-t t lived i,?J 'It- ' .v Gramant, 'j • •-., i t o - " " " , ^' *h-« v i ! «">< ''• " , c i " i - ( . < t , > n » ; h ,r.n t of t h e Grasnani 'may have ber-n sometimes- hereditary, and soinetimes, nominated who disagrees or elected,' with <'«-»•' $« Epitome c r <'. > ",»- » pp.38-W, '..'»— ' » } i holds Mac;donncJ« opinion,, states that .' > t .'{•'*>., 6 . M a c r i n d l % A<* ^ •• «. ,. ! qtf • drarnatu and- 't : ' , • - ,r>."J. ? s P.-Banerjee >,t * ^fjese, other village officials were appointed by the community and S were accountable to tlwniT jaiswai., seems to agree with him as according 10 him Gramani or leader ci the village, was a. representative at the coronation ceremony/ .- .„„-., - c» cx;-,t' -; • *':\r-ji to the Land' of Atharvaveda '-. 1.1,'* , c-.i i':'i!Tj 'cin-ti * o! the whole land. 3oiswal is of the view that those who were assembled, were, "the villages and for . agreement on certain matters of caramon interests The villages as a unit, seems to have formed the basis of the .constitution of the Sarnhi. In the developed Vedic Age? the national life and activities were, however, expressed through popular assemblies arsd institutions* The greatest • institution of this nature was the SamUi or Sabha which emerged from the1' latter part of the iriiUenriium oi the Rig-Veda and continued to exist down . to about 700 BC« The Samiti was a sove^eigo body, as it not only "discussed the waiters of State, but also had the power of electing the Raja or the king. The wfioie people were supposed - t o be . pte&ssnt. in- -she _ assembly- PreS1TffiTng"the difficulties of 4 transport &t\4 communication, the presence of the whole nation would not have been possible. Though authentic details are not available, there must have Seen some; unwritten electoral 8* Banerfee Pramathanath, ' India, p. 289 9, Public Jaiswai K.P. Hindu Polity, p. 15 10. ibid. Administaiian in Ancient «> 1 0 5 * conventions or principles of represcn'atirn acceding to which viltage-s might have been ^endih£ their representatives tor the meeting o! the Samite • The Sabh.a was s a standirg and stationary body of selectee men, generally Eiders, working undtr the authority at S'imitu The basia of selection must have been some principle of representation. The Resolutions of -the Sabha wprc bindingg on all and •mvloiabi€. % " ' . As stated earlier, the existence of rcpubii.es during Bud- dhist period is also discernible from Buddhist literature. Buddha was born and brought" up in a republican set-up. He rtajved the community' that he founded as 'Bhikku Sangha* or the 'Republic of Bhikkus.! The Buddhist texts also give a detailed account of the rules and regulations of ihe democratic government of the "Sangha" and m fact the term "Chand" € p i has often been usc4 In" Oueklhist literature for a vote. The 'term is still in use in Sri'anka maiy scholars hold that these references are identical with or probably based upon the democratic, constitution of the republican stare?., R-C. Majumdar is of. the view that "this is very plausible though not an established tad.'*dhist literature Bud ~ also mentions that Vaishais. the kingdom of Lachchavis, was ruled by a Supreme Assembly consisting of tiie young st,<i old* H. jaiswal K.P», ibid p. IS 12, Majumdar, R.C., ibid p. 332 During the perioo cf 320 AD) the exigence cf VUiuryers Imperialism (324 BC- -•-.r.-:-:i.0f-v.-i.>'» tribal governments is discernible from numismatic evidence. Such states were referred ,» c, C-.ip i ""• *-i" i NrK» ' f •*"-,, ! if' •» iv ..-I- i *• were quite sympathetic r' allowed their survival without-any hindrance. The existence of autonomous communities, urban ar*d rural, imposed a limit, in normal times, on the exercise of • authority by the'supreme executive:. Kautllya's Arihasastra declares that "whatever pleases himself, the king shall not consider as good, but whatever pleases his subject?., he shall consider ,"13" as gooes. eleventh and subsequent centuries witnessed Islamic incursions in India, followed by Mughal .occupation in the 16th century. During thb period, .the republican government had no place in polity. Initially* the Mughsds., who were busy consolidating their hold, did not interfere with the administrative organisation of the country.. They also extended their patronage to • the .-time honoured institution of village panrhayats which used to settle disputes of all kinds-civiis criminal and socialat trie village level. After- consolidating.:&&ic~faatd, they introduced' the Jagir system for collecting revenue through or contractors. This •system weakened the solidarity .. Quoted .in Shukia, UP«," History of in India, p, 2'4 . ' Matguzars5 of the Village Panchayats * 10? * t i) < • .vi " • f' < •< <• » c, w,,, -• ' > "• \ -' • P . •* o ' ' P I ' S , . i>',-3 .. t, "-, ' f - •, s , >< h wi) «. 1 /me has 3> u f t> . >'< ,! i J». a i N { v. ^ ^* > / J . : ,_v 'v- *••• •< ,,. , M > <" * •i t ' tunthe . j>n s e q u e n c e , *j u n i o r , roi<?. oppression which ~"d validity _of the n course of time, th«- P,-in!.ij-Ay;-jh; in their old ferm practically disappeared by the mi^dfa oi the 19th century. There was a virtual extinction of ai! forms of seifgovcrn«>ent and disappearance of ancient village communities with the •advent o! the British Rule, Following the Revolution of i&!>7> the Crown by the Act of IS58 assumed the governance of its territories in India, which hitherto hid been administered' by East mdia Company. From that, date, until the Government of India rsci 1915 came into operation, we had a semblance of ..'a uniiied •jdfninhtration in the country vesting the superintendence, direction and control of the entire Government of India In t:h-:- - Governor General and thai of the pFoviriccs* in the Governor and hi:> Executive Council subject to the over-'" all control of ;ho Central Government, There was a complete snapping of tics between the ru'pt and the ruled. The question of giving representation to Indians was. Ui, Yadav R.V., I , !u u* . ..I Panchayat Raj, p,10 -» 1 urn *» raised • in the British Parliament in 1S58.. But Gladstone consi- dered it impolitic to grant it, "when considerable portion of the natives, were still in armi, against the British", In subsequent vear$; if was, however, realised that for better .administration of the country a link should be estabt fished between the people and the government at lower levels. With this end in view, a lew steps bordering on the* formal were taken by the Government for selling up local bodies. The first step in this direction was Lord Mayo?s lution of December* 1870 wherein the Government emphasised the necessity of entrusting the functions of education, sanitation? etc. to the local government. in respect Consequently, Acts were passed of ioca! self-government' at the district level 'in the provinces of Bombay, Bengal and Punjab stipulating nomination of officials., and non-officials to the local bodies. Lord Ripon's Resolution of next- -major 18 May 1S824 marks the {and mark in self-government. _ c_aUiJT)g -upon provincial governments to extend through, out _the;_ the country a network" of Socar'"B"63Tesr"**T!""alsb laid/down that in no. .case .should the official members of a- local body be'mere than 1/3 of the total membership; that non-oificiai members be chosen by election" and that a non-official ihoufd should be the Chairman of the Board, as far as possible. As a result of this Resolution, the laws enacted between 18S3-18S5 in various provinces treated a 'two-tier' system of local government with (i) district boards and (2) sub-district boards cotenrunus with the district or ihe sub-division orTehsii respectively,, Theses District Boards* however, continued to be dentir..?.ted by officiai<k<rn with Collector as Chairman, The first attempt at introdGciiig an elective dement in the Jeoivlatut'es Central ai-.d 'provincial - was the Indlais Council? Act 1X92* The Ace increased the number of additional memfaets *o net less than 10 and nox mere ihan 16, in the case of Imperial Legislative Council and to not ie&s than 8 and net • more than 20 in case of various provincial councils* The rules issued under the Act provided <hat certain portion of the nonoflicia! members should be nominated by the hend of the government on the recommendation of certaui bodies. Consequently, the Councils iormeei at the Centre and in the provinces consisted of three elected. types of members - oificial, non-official and Thus, in the case oi 16 members of the imperial Legislative Council, 6 were o i u o a l s , 5 were nominated nonofficials and 5 were elected - one by Calcutta Chambers of Commerce and one each by the non-official provincial Councils. members of <*• In the case of Provincial Councils, the recommending bodies were Municipal Councils, District Boards, Chamber of Commerce and University Senates* introduced, though indirectly, the elective Thus, th<s Act element in the Councils. Another step in the direction of Reform of the Councils >&as the Indian Councils Act, strength oi Legislative i90*>. Councils The rules Eramed under the Act f The Act increased the Impenal and Provincial. ixed the strength of Imperial Legislative Council ai 69 arid that ol the' Provincial Councils varying iron; 52 m cusc of Beng.il to 16 in Burma, «. no The Legislative Councils - Imperial and Provincialwere to be indirectly elected by three types of electorates generals communal 'and special. The imperial Legislative Council . i'. i.' . i,' ..! members. Of these. 13 were to be returned \ . members of s •<("!• ' non-oi'Hciai Provincial Councils; 6 by separate Mohammadan constituencies^ 6 by special land'ofd constituencies and 2 by special electorates of the Chamber o! Commerce. SifiHariy, the elective element in the Provincial Councils which varied from province to province, was returned by three types of constituencies. Qualifications prescribed in the rules for enrolment in the roils of general constituencies, land holders constituencies, Mohammadan constituencies and special constituencies varied from province to province- The qualification for enrolment in these constituencies for election to the Imperial Legislative Council were different from those prescribed for Provincial' Legislative CouncilsThe Act thus introduced separate communal electorate •with limited franchise and continued with the system of indirect election as introduced by the Act of 1892. The largest consti- tuency returning a member to the Imperial Legislative Council did ne-t—-exceed -650 voters, IrT'TKe"Provincial; Councils also the constituencies did. not exceed a few hundred voters. The Indians were highly dissatisfied with this measure and oerrianded fully- representative legislatures. A" R'oyal Commission, known as Decentralisation Commission, appointed in Docernbcr, 190? lor examining the question of 'electoral reforms at the local, level gave its Report in 1909 and recommended the revival of the village panchayats. - How- » e-ii ut'n'e * r * lit • <v ' •• »f " i _ the formation Again, the Government of India issued \xvo i.:U*>oJutions, one if; 1^15 and another in !5iS s stressing the need of setting se?!:-f,overnrnef"iti!. up Joc-'ii ?>oth these Resolutions, however, remained only on paper,, The Government of India Act, 1919. made local government a transferred subject under the charge of a popular Minister, This had the desired effect ami Acts were passed in S provinces of ; British India in panchayats, The 1919-20 lor the establishment of local self-government was included village in the Provincial List under the Government of India Act, 193.5, When popular Ministries assumed oifice *n 193? in the provinces* they undertook legislation to make local bodies truly representative. However, the Congress governments of 8 provinces tendered their resignations in 1939 in protest against making India a party to the war* During the entire period from 1939 to I9^6 { there was /lovernoth Rule in each of these s provinces without as much us a semblance -of locei government* (radian public opinion was not satisfied with the minor concessions which the Government of India had offered to them The from Indians time i.u time at the iocai government level* defnanded self determination. The demand • was i considered on August 70, 1,910 when His Majesty's Government . announced their policy of 'gradual development of selfgoverning ifisticutions with a yiew iu progressive realisation •i* of a the responsible British i. i 8 4, "* government in India as an Empire**..'5 A^ a consequence >' i , « ,. f• of integral this C ^ < \.-KMIS ! ; < ^: i J . 't part of declaration, <>i India Act, consisting of trie Council of State at 60, exclusive of (President) of whom i 25 were to be nominated fav vhe Governor -Genera! and 34 elected. The Legislative Assembiy was TO Xomht «*"•'••-' >* ' * ,•. > t «> ', "* "she fnernbera o not less than fi'i . c :•, ,. from 139 i< tJ • .. ' < > v ,< of* 1**3 niembers - _r» , » be nominated? and ; , „!< \LX \< ,3' Jative Council varied A <-."•< , \ r< \ ,c v , » ( ^ ^ t mors than 20% oi % » «. to be official and< ^ '"* • r was authorised to the remaining seats In his discretion. The Central and prmnaciat legislatures wer-s enlarged with a higher proportion of the elected element, -~ • -The rules provided for direct election to bom the Houses of the Central legislature and to the Legislative Council 'fi *$<•• ; "(A'i "i < s , _ •- ——«—••• i"!i^ !r%iP".!-5.v~ for election to both the Houses of Central legislature was. >c'*yc-!v Uy.~^d on hia.h property Qualifications such as payment of $(:'?C!(-'"J irnount o! land revenue. Municipal taxes, income tax etc* Consequently, the number of voters for election to the Legislative Assembly did not exceed ten iakhs- 90987* to be precise in 1920 out of a total population IIK- 'tutixl n,M,fx:r of voters ior election t o • i • • , 5not OfuV Europeans*« »> ! < 'i • <>» i - •")'. £ '• ' -t •<:>.'„ > !..<.*''' ' . t- »u ^1<- KtJi^j'f '. •' Seats w t ; ; ( ; ic o .ciorvr-j /, Brahfnins lr< Madras and ' ' rther. was \.\Aiaii O a isuan;i. >, "".> separate -! ,-i electorate representation. !istit'?enci«s for the non- Marathas in Bombay. No provtsiorv was however made for representation of women. '*..' " Tt Legisi • ^> '.» ~i «< t '"X'.i t franchise > '-'f •• ' <. ' t l '- f social >• v'• t * ,i s'* The * ' was Jargp-iv based on nigh property qualification aa in the case of election to A the centra! legislature. These property ^iiu^.^aitons v/#re however less tha,i those iixed for voting a! iH:- ei-ccJiun io the Central Legislative Assembly, The number of persons who were enfrarjehised in !920 was only 5.3 millionsor just over 2% of,, the pepuiatjon or •. 8»S% of the males over 20 years of age* Direct election,? to the legislatures under the Act were held for the first time in 1,920 and then in 1923 and {'J2&. In 1927 a Commission was • appointed io-inquire into "...the development of representative institutions in British India and matters connected therewith." The Commission reported in 1930 recommending h.iil responsible government in the provincial sphere in p'lzce of Dyarchy,- but made no substantial change at the Centre. As a consequence another measure of reform, the Government of India Art, 1935, was enacted. •. The Govemmei.t bicameral of Iiid'a ftct, 1935, continued the legislature contesting oi the Council of Stajie and Ihf- Legislative Assembly -\i the Centre as had been envisaged in the Act of 19IS, though with a different composition. The Council oi S'ia'it was to consist of 260 members, 156 from provinces wd ICKl from Princely States. Of the 156 scats allotted tc- the provinces, fc were to be nominaiec! by the GovernorGeneral in his discretion and 1.50 elected directly. One hundred . & four representatives from Indian stales were to be nominated by ihe princes. The direct election of the majority of its members was a departure iron) the then prevailing practice in other •• federations of the world. The lower House designated as the federal Assembly was to be composted of 375 members out of which 250 were allotted to the provinces and 123 to the Indian States. Of the 250 seats front provinces, H were non-provincial, assigned to commerce, industry and labour and the rest were to be indirectly eie- ted by ihe respective provincial ieg^iatures on the basts of separate communal electorate with the addition of separate seats for womef5~-bf"tl:ie~&y«terri oi proporttonst'Tg'presentatiors on a single transferable vote basis. The representatives from Indian states were to be nominated by the princes* The A,ct provided for bi-oa-merai legislature—Legislative Councii and Legislative Assembly - in 6 out of ii provinces. The rest of the provinces had • unicanmal legislatures, The siz'e qf the provincial bicameral s unicameral legislatures varied from state to stats,. The lower House was lo be wholly elected and the upper House predominantly so. The voting qualifications fCr of £.i"i ) It.' l a n e 1 n - ^ . ^ s, s ably under of •>, t r o IF* «' . . ' J l - • • • H ' f . n r-'-f v \ ( l ' S s t -'. tie ' •> < < ITr-.r ' K with J> T ,< [] j > f « ' * l i . ' O t* • >! ' -i, v - ',' r( adult . . was . * rh Government of ' . •> k • ,> t v o t e adding six million v > * , t» population ;i , : , <• tr<if v { > > fit* > ' v ^ , ^t • - , - *i >u> *<^ ' . 't, • _ » ','«. • , <. ' u .-< < .•« t h e A c t of 1519* The \ ^. ' » Governrnes^t of India C Frovinc > ^* '^w< i ; . * * , u. < « , •1936, t h e G o v e r n m e n t of India (Provincial Legislative As'se'nbliei) O r d e r , 1936 and tine G o v e r n m e n t of India (Prcv. : r.eial Electron;:,, Corrupt P r a c t i c e s and Election' P c n . ' c n s J d e t a i l e d provision to t h e provincial 'c : i ' . i^ u ..! ! ^ t r ' , . (~!.'.\<-t _ :->if- ;n-i.:- -=r ' ' u . va : jc\"J ;i">po*ss ..I ••;(•*. v'or.v . ' ' " G<^'C;rKOi ul ;-'C pr . , K : S w e r e also Oinpovvered to make rules for t h e ' p u r p o s e of oonducL ol electionss in t h e a b s e n c e oi any provision to t h a t effect m a d e e i t h e r by t h e A c t or by His-.Viajesfcy-in-CounciL •s. There for was the preparation no separate regular election machinery and revision o! rolls and the conduct of elections during the enure period of ikitssh R'.ilc m India. In fact, no regular machinery was required till the passage c>( J-, \y • . ,:V'- .• •, ;/ , t .'. - ; "-,» *" t - iS?09 {is nomination to the Legis!,„.;• *>y the Governor-General at the Centre and Che re>pectcc Governors , m the provinces., The indirect elections introduced ccder ihe Act of 1909 were managed bv •;*:;; it ut ions such .M>jmc:;p>;;.;it.ic-ss as O.intcn:nc-:.t District Boards, Universities,,, r'afichuy-ita etc- Boards, The Government of India Act 1919 introduced dh'strt eh-ctiens >;o the legofefures, but sn,u then). , " ' • > % . .-• , » Coufererice k • ' - ' i r" '•, ,? was 'Of •'!>- i«' r. . • > i, f i , " ~t. ' •,vt^- v '^ » *- " ', >' ' ,~ » j » *, - „ _ fthcuid be e^psuded'K " t. J ' ' • ;J/ - - -.. , ' j - • be l Cf: -' '•• »_,„..'.'<' v 1 :>r,ot:id '. * < I" 11 * .. •<. --t^ Jj\v".C'hi.v»v. , 4'. • , the • v>ew i h a c adar? . - t. ' \< - , - • « ' i . c. _ >v> J w the •, s. c a t e 'R.epori oi the Csmrnirtee 1932}. The Act of 1935 made elaborate pc>vi3ion for dealing with various facets of the electoral pruce:s*c bin: xaUcd to make a specific -provision f6r their con'ouct by an authority free i;om executive cciUrol, "sdence_ Period - --The Jnciian—o-pitnrsrfThe'fft&re re-memed dbsatftiied _ .wj,lh. the systerr. of government or election. The (;-id oi 'world Wstv H and the events that followed it, including the advent of Labour Government*" "M England, h6 to the establishment oi a Constituent Assembly in India to frame a t-:e* Constitution for the country. The Founding, Fathers tranybted the dreatns of the peoplf; of Incki into rc-ahty by covisijtohng -'idia uvto !la sovereign, GefT.Of.:ratic rcpubiic*1' They couks nc-i hs-vc tai-c-n ??reaicr care to en«u t"-;; \o the country a iuily representative government through tree and lour elecuonv which is the sine qua nor, for a true democracy, authority,, from the for this purpoie an independciT; constitutional £iect.;on Commission, has been created free The super in i,endeoc':% c-y5f.-.;(5ot!s, -controi- dJrectJOf; --.no rorvl.roI of lbs1 preparation of elecsurai rolls for and conducv o; ejections to the Pariisment and to the k;g«siatur&of a\afj' Sta*:e arid cl efectiens to the offices of President <'<~ •» .' - . ,.c e *.- . vested in the- Election Commksioru zv f, guarantee free elecilcns. t i ,{'.«* v >- I (. v' ' ' ^* » pcrated in the Chapter on fundaments.! righrs. Committee of the c r .«• • .t 5 the crccition of an it* .t » * t t . H > - The Advisor}-' <•' > ;"><S"n I agreed 10 ' b IT suggested its incia$;f>.i in a separate part of the Constitution. The Union Constitution Co^tmh.tee accepted this, suggestion and ' included it in P a n XV.ci viie Corib?1tutJon4 ior federal •* arui provincial s:lecticns. Federal ejections were -to be tinder the Election Co'-nmis^ion and the nrovinciai elections .15, under the Governor. Dr. &,R» Arnbedkar, Chairniaii of the Drafting Commhfee f moved- an amendrnent lo centralise the election machinery in the hand;:; of a. single Commh,s!or. to be assisted by Re^jond! -ConiiiHSsion^r?: 15, wori'.Hui CownMueni ii^G^r the Asscrnbiv .^'.spervisiun, c?ir«.r(.:tlon u"K* Debates,. VoiJV. D.97.. control of the iliceiion. Coi'mnissiGn and not under the control of the State as envisaged earlier. , . ' • Dr. Arnbedkur explained that centralisation of election aditunisttation justice in a single body was necessary to prevent in- by the provincial governments ",o people other than vho-jc who bcton«ed to the province raoaiiVi linguistically and 16 " . . . . . culturally, ' The indopertdence of ,ihe Commission is - ensured by an express provision in anic-ic 32^(5) of the Constitution itself thai tne Chief Election Comrftissioner shall not be removed from -his office except in like manner, and on the like grounds, as a judge of the Supreme Court and the conditions of service of the Chief Election Commissioner shall not be varied to his disadvantage s i t c r his appointment. Thus." '& 'Chief Ejection Commissioner shall not--be. -removed from his office "except by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported \c , "l i .k . < < J 'i • i^f ^ » i i r h<.x House and by . i ,' t. . u > members of that t. . t 't the President ITB the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity."The independence of other l£ section Commissioners is also ensured by providing "that ony ether Election Commissioner i6, Constituent A^emDiy Debates, Vol.VUl, pp.S05-906. or a Regional Commissioner shall not be removed from except on the recommendation oi the office Chief •, Election Commissioner." The Election Commission is-iridependenr cf the Executive and the powers of the -legislature are also circumscribed by constitutional provisions.. The powers of legislatures to make 327 £ . was laws on electoral k i *t i) " tr >„* , s. ,. ».] V's* e l e c t i o n • Cornmissicn.-'' • • ' . ', •' i v m a t t e r s under Articles. ' * (J, >•' -. vif ai Article 32%, This •• -t c« \, the Union and State i-.^ •< J < • L su I ' i i t o . of u n i v e r s a l .adult franchise under article 326 - Irrespective of colour, race, se^ lr, t! - , (t -i ih * i, .* «j .ton f provision oi restricted •> »-"d on property, payment of taxes etc., during the British Pefiod, Th.it was a'bold step indeed considering the phenomenal size of the electorate' and : a high percentage of illiteracy, in the Constituent final speech to the Assembly, the President said that in' making these decision* they had indeed taken "a very big step." - He went on? "I em not dibrnnyed by It*,.. I know the v id Sage people who will constitute- the bulk of this vast electorate in my opinion, our people possess intelligence and comrnoftsense. They also have a culture vHsich the. sophisticated may not appreciate but which is solid.... They are able to fake measure of their own interest and also of the interest of the country at large if things arc explained to thorn.* ** 17. AIR 1972 SC 18? 18. Morris-Jones, Parliament I n indies 1957, pf>» 93-9^ - 120 « The conJVnmm. <:i universal .duh franebiso was an a c t of faith in ilu- suih'/e i / i i c ' i i ^ r n o e ann s>raetiea! co:; s mon;>onse of tbo more by Indian than eioolor. jus! i Heel tho i.'xoreisii!}' 1ic:ir Tin; Indian faith reposed electoun eieeiors huvc, oj in. [horn over opiions in a manno! course, ;ho yeai\s convincing.;!)' i n d i c a t i v e of n o ' i u c a ! t u . i t u r i t y . it is sigiufii\tKt here 7uG ycavs to siticc iniro<fuce to obscrv<'- Dial Engian=i look n e a r l y 1 IIH suUn^orunjr aduiE Ir.shcfH'U' of in nj'f'.t to domooi'i'rhA havo women Moswe Dcsh in in !y?2, Kanqnuivvi RcpulMir of Vt-Hior: ant? CAprus 19';V. Kuwait In nUnit ol t h e io end Swilxvslmd i 9 / 6 , 3otdon i U / ? , r.<jira?ortai ' Wouian \c)'iHt 19?$, France- I'-o'l lia-hrain. O m a n , periods hitter extend the. The lAjsited S t a l e s p a v e votui|: rij'.hf 1920, U.K. 1962, Libya foUjv" in ! 2 6 ^ loo :«ik;r IIK- 20i!« c e n t u r y , ialvcri if» v o t e t o w o m e n . l-'jtfhuuif-iit: i l ' / S v;n<1 ?hui strui:n'(•'. in 5ln- f.\<rly yours of other (uofio.! suii l f ^f6, 3,\\M\\ h\ 1960, f\s;;^L'< I'l'/H. Vcupic'i. V'e\i\ovratk: CuiiK-a I9S2, Zau'ibia clo noi enjoy Q..?t,.T, Saudt Arabia i% j .' votin;; r i g h t s and Uiiited in Arab Ennralo;,," Another ek-oioial roll change In liuiuc comrdHi was a provision to sepauno lor one oommunai and general special roHb i-i>;ior t h e British Rule, The h haffvd interi'eionce by by As lick- 3?v.Hh),. iiio ooui i:; in electoral process The Supreoie C o u r t had i n t e r p r e t e d i,n H,\\ pi.xn.i>wa;tii y;>e i l e j u r n i n g O H f c e r , Narnakkal and o t h e r s ' that the t e r m election "uued in this Article would include the entire process horn the notiiication of election to the declaration of Ihe calling the result". Accordingly» uporr a constituency after to elect the issue ot notification a cnen'iber to any HXJ'SC of Icgisiatu'c,' Uuoji <or Slate, t!x> e!ccfor c s! proc - ess falls beyond 19. AIR 1952 SC 6?* * Handbook of Internationa! Eiisc P,250-251. Data on Women - Bouldsng k t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n of any C o u r t cars be made !>houW b e , if only through we a r c > <« L .• < to guard •>i u c h an ' , >- < JU I'Ori'Oin against ejection This machinations is, a s by i n t e r e s t s to t h w o r t or s u b v e r t e i e c h o n s an one p r e t e x t or it vested a n h Artie ic 32fi nas equipped the Commission with plenary powers in the matter oi elections,. These are supplemented by the Repro&csUauon of the People Act, 1930 (with respect to the preparation and re-vision of electoral roiis) and the Representation of ihe People Act. )9>! (wifft respect to the conduct of elections) and the ruirs made thereunder.. gK'cn to Par!;an?cnt o'eefcion Article nnd State matters under T'lkt i\'\ othc-f Fryer? the powers. U:-j?jskiluiT-s vo make • laws in '3.?? a:sJ Articles 32& are subject w o r d s , t h e \v:'\^i'-:''ii iyovjci:-.- oi the to Corn- mission cannot" ;>,- w h i u i v d do^'n by ^r,r/ ;.j:i»islau'):i of Parisa:nv';it. T I K V .foSiowifn; (ibborvvit.o'is <I , I > I I ! oi ihe I ' I . | Cciut 1 •> . Supwr^e ir; ixiohindcr f i t It i . ) > < .1 1 if i \ 11 ; ' 1, 1 I I j, i i v I' I v) > i i1 •' I i n 'H l J ' t r , i nC ' I '( , <• ' i f ' ' ' ' i ' t' )>< J' I M if , v < ' or ';V l ' u i! 1 I ( < o ! 1 < I v ill l"f I f ' ' • I «> , f * I „• I ' t.,' H 1 , t.\> is' i t c t t| , < I, I „ , , 1 t U i t M t . <• l J l t f ai, «>, liick -t < - it " * '". ' \ «! r : > i n. < f> for these people to be brought on an equal footing with the other people* Accordingly, Articles 330 aisd 312 have provided reservation of seats in the Bouw? of the People and the State 20, AIR !9?S SC Legislative Tribes. AssembHtss that cont?v;t-j::i;r.vv \< u < 4 ''trtac'-.is '. ' Castes made lor and Scheduled nomination of Anglo-noian comtnumty, if .if." h "fell""that," b ' s>ol • adr-qualPtv » 1 J !' " " I .Scheduled SirmlirSf. arovision ha.s been member:; Irotn" tK\ " for . ' represented ip the . ' i t House » it. ' .. " "I . M. , ^ tirot* l!590<. v ' t> ! i • ,. . »? < >, •, \- . .for " The • Commission Rctisrnsng^ Officers ;*ppO!rn,s Retorting Oii'icers and Assistant for the conduct of cicciions. The Db;-i:r';-ct Election Officer 'is the appointing authority for the Presiding and Polling Oijio-rs and atherr. required-for the coA-dUCf '1 of election, / ' / w < v >> <> t u * <•* , >t • ir..* >.*•;! State Uigation ' •« , <t , "u- independent 1 * qu. . . i , • HI. such huge under • the. "> ., . sio-c;or,':f :: Mr.tr- ,>/•'• •:• l»c.u»u- vw-.c-m'it .• b e i"> r -i*-=, too perform duties uncler th :•• c o n t r o l ot t h e CdiiuTussion b u t t h i s control is lor a tempora y p e r i o d . Dc:»prce trsherent iurti t a t ionsv it must" be said a> (airne :i m h t a t e a d n n n i s f r a i i o r i s that t i > • . ' > * . . 1 . - !( M •>'*> ft. •> v. i O " ^ 'i > • > >.a , ( Sutv , .<• L except v < 'I t y t . I I ) . has sought i dci-fiiction ecied with election. If I were to refer to FroL Tata V&nhane's paper once a,gasn, he pin-points some mai-functions, as he perceives them in the Indian electoral hsghty unfair ;',ysf.^fn. representation of Tn^ ie 5 according in him, are mc^t " politics! parties in the PariUuvteri?- e nd State legisisiTrrssr tiic \.hfcr»K: >n&FabHty of the party iy-stem:, the cor.tip.uCHis detccvioa ot the iepisiators from one party to another and cxirfrui^ under-represeniation of women In the Parliament and State Legislatures. Defection has afready been taken. • care of and statistics show that the representation of women in the Legislatures has been progressively increasing as some o£ tlsc iiolSov.;;,nji iigucv1^ will show? i. 197? 70 .• 2. I9S0 Sft2 3. 198* I6« This does not the pert ^ntagvi of women's - - of . ' i9 '*% 2S >% ¥i compare very representation 5 in ILS.A,, and 10 in nusunu, ' ll ?% unfavourably with in national legisJaturcs ... 3uSy-.22a 1985) In o •." i xa gci over the lir.vi c e / e c t s the auihor , supports the system o i proportional of the more funda.'aentaJ changes reprc^entafioru suggested That is one by hitn for the improvement of the Indian politico! sy&tem. In terms oi s t a t i s t i c s . "~the following should be oi Interesi; ' vatet.* of |%votes % at l at ipoiledlseat |won Party 1 i , I.K-C, 2. Janata Party . % vote § % om% votei> vti% votes % |% vote|% ot|% v®tef% of 9% votel%of |polled|seat|poii.sd|seat|polle£| of §po'lledgsedt|poliedtseat fpollediseat § f 5 won won ;.0won» X 45,00 -74.43 47,78 - -, « 75*10 44,72 - S 73.08 40*73 54.42 43«66 67*95 34*52 28*41 42,68 66,79 49.07 - - - « « 41.32 54,43 18,93 5*88 6,90 78,5^ 1,95 3. Er-artlya Janta Party 4« Isif Dal - . •» - - - - » 5*98 0,53 - 1*52 0.76 S* Indian *92 5,46 9 .- . 4,42 4*73 4,44 2*82 1.29 2.59 2.09 2*75 I.IT 3.65 Sol.2 4.82 4,29 4.05 6.J6 6*33 5,80 4*32 * 12? - if one were to go merely by statistical considerstions, the contention of Prof, Tatu Vanhanen would seem to_ be fully supported, At the time the system was debated in the Constitutor^ Assembly*' this suggestion was not accepted a/id Nehru had observed that he could "trunk of nothing more conducive to creating a feeble ministry and a feeble government than the business of electing them by proportional representation"* Sardar Pate! accused proportional representation of "fostering a, multiplicity of parties and shifting coalitions," We have gone by the U.K.- patterns accepting the two basic principles of first-past "Lhe-po&t system and single-member constituencies. In LUC fhe f H«r;sard Society analysed the short comings of the liritish system in 19/6 and proposed an 'Additional Member System5 similar to that used in West Germany* This recommendation however has not been accepted. My predcessor had also made a similar suggestion. in my package of recommendations; ! did not. agree with this recommendation for the following reasons? (0 - ^ f n a huge sub-continent like ours with a federal system, what.-is needed most is political stability and a strong Central Government. Any. other system of election would reduce not only the chances of stability but could also lead to weakening of the Centre; (2) When most .of • the 7 national parties recognised as such under the Commission's Symbols Order have -itilt to ipread their base in a number of States, the pattern of represent :ion would in fact become more regional than national an d stall the emergence of reai national parties. [3>)*s By and large, the will of the people has bee. tuiSy reflected in the past in the choice they made and therefore it ' cannot be argued that a change-, if. necessary, cannot bt brought about under the existing system, In fact s the experience over the last 30 year: | has established beyond doubt, as stated by the President ir hi$!985 Independence. Day message; that elections in the country have strengthened the roots of democracy and have re-invigoratec the system. rent Status: • • The election law of the country is substantsvely covered by the Constitution, the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act 1952, the Representation of the people Act 1950, the Representation of the People Act 1931 supplemented by the Registration of Electors Rules i960, the Conduct of Elections Rules i.961, besides several minor laws to take care of special problems o! various- Stages and the perceptions oi the various State Governmentsjvith respect to the-prevention of • disqualification of members o! legislatures. The Election Commission also in exercise of its legislative power, has issued the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 196$, besides a large number of regulations for the guidance of the electoral machinery. - 129 -' It is not necessary to go Into the details of the provisions in Us:; Gxisttfutksv' Cisstitiiticrej oroers csx* the various Statutes but suffice it to say mat the entire legal edilice has been built up on the twin articles of faith viz individual freedom end change through peaceful means through the triple postulates of -. (a) an enlightened electorate within the frame work of Universal franchise Cb) rectitude and fair play on the part of Individual candidates and political parties;- and Cc): an independent neutral electoral machinery. Elections minus their purity can at best be a facade lor democracy. Our Saws to a great extent provide the wherewithal for the attainment of the objectives,, though recent experience has. shown that certain structural changes are needed to curb the growth . of some of the unhealthy trends. Strange though it may seem neither the-Constitution. nor the election laws, initially, carried any reference to the term "political party". Theoretically, an' election contest is among individuals .even though in actual practice, many o! the candidates are sponsored by political pasties* It became accessary for the Commission to recognise political parties' for the purpose of allotment of symbols, which are considered necessary for the identification of candidates- of their choice by the electors- Accordingly, the Commission promulgated "the 'Election Symbols (Reservation- and Allotment) Order. 196$' in exercise of the powers under Rules 5 and 10 of the Conduct •« ISO a. o! Ei'ec.uons Rules* 1%L Under this Order, the Commission urcscrib'j'd nornss lor registration and recognition ol poiitical parties, it also-decided deputes among reortgnised parties under the Ore!'.;!". Tiie Suorvue Court' has treated this as" a icgai selfcontained coci-\ The term Apolitical party % later on, found mention i.n the Registration of Electors Rules, i960 in the context of free supply of copies of electoral roUs. Still Later, in i9?^ } the term "poiitical- party1* was ^ s Act, 1951 when an explanation was added to section 7? of that Act to eianiy f ha.': the expenditure incurred by political parties' was not a part of the individual candidates expenditure* In order to get over the difficulties created by the judgment of the Supreme Court. In Kanwsr La! Gupta Vs. Arnar Math Chawla and oxhC'j'S,£Fcr the first time the term was introduced in .the Constitution when the Tenth Schedule was added by the Constitution CFiity-Second Amendment) Act, 1985» This Act made •detection a disqualification for membership ol Houses of Parliament and State Legislatures t is worthwhiie recapitulating- some ol the salient features o! our election laws. The constitution unequi-vocaiiy provides for the freedom of the individual and a method for effecting change .peacefully (at a time when the Indian society is in- a state of perpetual change) through the establishment of a parliamentary -democracy in a federal polity with the ultimate * WP No. li?n\i 1985 (Kanhiya Lai Omar Vs. Shri R.K, Trivcdi and others) decided bv the Supren>e Court on ?A,$.i^SI .* - » 131 « sovereignty vesting in the pc-ople. It also provides for a free choice of thdr representatives through adult suffrage. Reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes > faicarn£r>3! legislature at the Centre and in some States and a commitment to encourage democracy at the grass-root level constitute the other highlights. A wordj In passing,, about this last commitment, Gandhiji had all along emphasized decentralization of power and strengthening oi village self-Government* Article W <>f -~ the Constitution translates ras vision into a Directive Principle of Slat'; Policy only as far as panchayais are concerned.. The Constitution abo establishes the Election Commission as an autonomous authority independent 9! the executive'and bars the jurisdiction of the courts once the process of election commences. The Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Representation o! the People Act, 1951. accept the British pattern for a single-member constituency coupied with the first-paswhe-post system. The former law deals basically with the preparation of electoral tolls, The experience in Assam should reinforce the need for extreme vigilance even in matters, which .in the normal course should have been no better than a routine exercise.. The latter provides legal sanction Cor the actual conduct of election making specific provisions to maintain peace'and order during elections, to ensure dignity* or fairness of electioneering and to'- enforce neutrality of 'civil service. Article i6S of the Constitution provides lor bi-, camera! legislature in 5 States (Andhra was dropped recently).. Article, 171 provides for representation of local authorities in the Legislative Councils of these States. The following table will show that in a majority of these States, the seats allotted to the local authorities remained vacant for long periods ranging up to II years; Name of State No. of seats vacant as on 30,6,85 Bihar 34 • Total seats No. & Name of constituency % Local Authorities •yet to be- constituted. i Karnataka . t i 63 Maharashtra 16 1% - do - Tamil Nadu 21 S3 - do - Uttar Pr 39 108 - do - • • . • - do ~ As on ,30.6,$5. Ikl seals out of a total of W s e a t s remained vacant in the various State Legislative Councils. the intention of the founding Fathers was not only to provide representation to special interests in the Upper Houses but also to strengthen the democratic process at the grass-roots. Unfortunately, -the elections to many of the local auihont^es themselves have remained suspended for long periods. According to a memorandum, the AiS-India Council of Mayors presented to the Prime Minister in I9S3, out of 66 corporations in the country, hk remained, superseded for periods up to 14 years. To give only two glaring' instances Simla and Madras Corporations remained superseded for 20 and 12 years respectively, in fact ,u> the case of Simla, Supreme Court - 133 * had to order elections fa^y 31,3.86 under the new, law. As of no significant improvement has taken place and now,/^2 out of 73 Corporations are still superseded Similarly* in m-day States, either the zlls, pan-shads remained superseded or no ele,;nons w^re held for long periods, Interestingly { according . v> mfui maiion . available, panchaya? elections and elections to other Soca? sell-governing bodies were held recently orily ih the [oHowsng States/after a lapse of 10 to 12 years: Uttar Pradcsm Karnataka;. Bihar; West Bengal, , The ohove is adequate to prove that so far we have oaid only Up service; to the concept of self-government or detriocracy at the grass-roots, -The ideal polity of Gandhlji's dfcovc; ;? yet to t e , V'ith a vi€'W to rnalntaining purity of elections, the •'tepresentatlcn of People Act, 1951 provides for the provciitjofi oi c-' rrupt prac;'ic«; and eiecioral offences* There arc- at present eight categories of corrupt practices cnurncarcd. in this Act vi;-;. (S) bribery, (2)' undue iniluenre. (3) appeal in the name of religion, race, caste ? conuaunity or language, C't) promotion of feelings o! enmity or hatred between dilfe'rent classes of the citizens of India on grounds of IYJCO, caste, ronrimunity and language, ()) character assubSiiiation, i.e. attackinn the per son oS choracter or conduct of a candidate, (6) hiring or procuring oi vehicles or the use ( • thereof for free conveyance of elector to and from the .^oiling /' ' bootlis, (?/ incurring election expenses in. excess of the ceiiing prescribed by Saw, ancMS) obc-;uiung or procuring the assistance of soe'dfied categories oi persons in the service of the Govern- ' orient for the furtherance cf the prospects of the election o! a.fcandtcfete. " ' ;•' Many oi us may not be even aware of the existence of more tr k-5S analogous previsions in the Indian Penal Code in a separate chapter IXA, dealing with olfences relating to elections. This chapter treats bribery, undue influence, impersonation, character assissination, failure to keep election • accounts, illegal payments in ' connection with an' election, as electoral offences. It is rather unfortunate that these provisions have vlraeUy remained a dead letter ail these years on account of enormous inherent difficulties in bringing the culprits to book* Two different consequences llow from the commission oi corrupt practicesc ' Ccntupt practices; committed by the candidate or his election agent cr any person with the consent of the candidate or his election agent are visited with serious consequences as compared to those committed by a third person without the consent of the candidate or his election" agent in the interest of the returned candidate, In the first event, the Saw provides for setting "aside of the election of a. returned candidates irrespective, of the actual effect of the corrupt practice on the electorate. Under the second -category,'the? election of the returned candidate would become void only if the court finds that the Commission of the corrupt practice in the interest of the returned candidate materially affected the result of thcclection. A candidate found guilty of a corrupt practice is also liable to be disqualified for standing for election or for voting" for a period not exceeding-six years, from the date of the final order of the court. Under the old provisions of law, disqualification for six years was automatic but now it is imposed by the President only after a reference to the Election Commission, whose advice is binding. Thus a civil incapacity is also imposed under the law. There is no gainsaying the fact that the process of'-challenging an election on the ground of commission of corrupt practices is dilatory by its very nature. The aggrieved party may not have the wherewithal to prosecute the case in a court and pursue it to its logical end. The remedy available against • corrupt practices by filing an election petition can be availed of only after the candidate has been declared elected i.e. when the damage might have already been caused. There is also a right to appeal to the Supreme Court on questions of fact or Saw- This is again a time-consuming process. During the pendency of the case in court, the elected candidate who committed the corrupt practice merrily continues as a member for a period that may sometimes be co-terminus with the life of the House itself, depending on when a petition is finally disposed off. Statistically speaking, to give only one instance, S out of 59 petitions relating to Lok Safaha elections of 1980 and 33 out of 211 petitions relating to 19S0 Assembly elections remained pending even after 198'?/1935 Lok Sabha/Assembly elections. A majority of the petitions were disposed of only in the 3rd or «fth year of filing of'the'petition. The figures below sriow tk* time taken in disposal of cases before High Court/Supreme Court as on 3une 30, 1985; High Court • Supreme Ceairt A.., Less than one year 1-2 Years 2-3 Years 3^9 • 93 .' ' 3-4 Years Over k Years Ik . 1* • 7 ! . . - 3 27 6 This factor itself, apart from other reasons, discourages the aggrieved person from approaching the court for effective remedy. It would be interesting to know that in U.K., over the last 100 years, no election has been set aside on ground of corrupt practices' committed by the elected candidate. it shows'the political maturity of that country* The electorate and political parties there 'make conscious efforts to adhere to the rule of the game and this is worth emulation by 'us. Keeping this, in view and on the basis of the past experience; the Commission has recommended td the Government various legislative .measures. One such recommendation & that if the Commission is satisfied of the */ide prevalence of coercion, intimidation or any serious corrupt practice which has vitiated the election in a particular constituency, it should have -the power of ordering repoil in the entire constituency after' an enquiry, ff such a power is. vested in the high • 137 * constitutional authority of the Election Commission, it would produce a salutary effect on the candidates and political parties attempting to adopt foul means at elections. At present the law provides only for a limited "repoTl only in the case of destruction or damage, or tampering of ballot box or ballot papers. It does not meet jsituatjons where other, kinds of corrupt practices are perpetrated. The joint Committee on Election Law constituted in 1973 made recommendations for making two different kinds, of corrupt practices viz., corrupt practices and illegal practices according t© the seriousness of the lapse. Out of the 8 categories of corrupt practices referred to earlier, the two that were proposed to be included as illegal practices were (1) exceeding the limit of expenditure, and (2) illegal hiring of vehicles. But this recommendation did not materialise into a legislation on account of the dissolution of the House of the People at that time. Actually such a categorisation of minor and major corrupt practices which also originally existed in the law before 1961 but was subsequently changed doing away with the differences, does not serve the desired object. Therefore, there is no point in reopening this issue. The more important electoral offences enumerated in the Representation of the People Act 1951 ares(1) promoting enmity between different classes of people on grounds of caste, community or language; religion, race, - (2) contravention public 13t of meetings - prohibition within of ^S hours holding before the close of the poll; (3) disturbance at election meetings; {*} prohibition on officers to influence voting; 0) breach of official duty; (6) prohibition of canvassing in or near polling station; and (7) meddling 'With ballot papers, boxes etc. Statistics so- far available do not indicate that these offences are widely prevalent. May be, they are -not seriously taken note of and penal action is not set in motion in every case of violation. The Commission, however, recently took serious note of certain lapses, on the part of a few election .functionaries which cast grave doubts on- their impartiality. To deal even with such rare cases effectively* the Commission has recommended that the powers of taking penal action should -vest with it and not in the Government exercising administrative control over them. As a matter of statistics, few prosecution have been launched against electoral offences. Corrupt practices jcajy^be questioned only through an election petition which somehow tend to be extremely dilatory and following recommendations have been made to get over this problem: (a) appointment of additional judges to enough regular 3udges for disposal of petitions after day-today heating. (b) Earmarking of judges" so * as "to '".develop expertise which in turn will help expeditious disposal, : > •^tc) Disposal within six months as iar as possible. ' lmportant_3udjc|al. decisions \ " The various election law have been supplemented by the learned judicial pronouncements of the High _ Courts ^.^ and Supreme Court, coupled with innumerable instructions and directions issued by the Election Commission itselif. These judicial pronouncements are necessarily $upplementarp'~arir3 "~ have in a way provided ciothings to the body of statutes created by Parliament. According to Maxwell a statute is "the will v o! the legislature", but this will of the legislature on many occasions may not be brought out clearly in the statute* leaving scope for doubts. It is the function of the courts to bring out succinctly the true intention of the legislature by interpreting that document 'according to the intent of them that made i t - S u c h process of interpretation bringing out the intendment, of the legislature helps not only in removing any ambiguity or doubts in the enacted laws but also helps a common man for whom such iaw is made to understand precisely how that law will work in actual operation. To cite an example from the election law, it is provided in article 329{b)of the Constitution that " no 'election to Parliament or State Legislature shatl be called in question, except by means of an election petition 2S__&__22. Maxwell on interpretation of Statutes, 12th Edition, p*K . presented to such authority and In such manner as Parliament , may by law provide". A dispute arose as soon as the first general elections were- held in India regarding the meaning •of the word 'election' as used io the said article. Necessary clarification was provided in 19,52 itself by the Supreme Court in their decision reported as N.P. Ponnuswamt Vs. Returning ' ' 2^ 23 Officer, Nammakai and others! The Supreme Court observed in that case that the word 'election' had acquired both a wide and a. narrow meaning, in the narrow sense, it is used ' to mean the final selection of a candidate which may embrace the result of the poll in a particular candidate.being returned* In the wide sense, the word is used to connote the entire! process culminating in a candidate being declared elected.) The Court took the view that the word "election" .has been used in Part XV o! the Constitution [which contains Article 329(b)3 in the wider sense, that is to say, to connote the entire process to return a candidate. That decision which has been described by the Supreme Court themselves as 'locus ciassicus' in Mohinder Singh Gi!l Vs. Chief Election Commissioner and Others decided another very important and basic principle of election law which has always been upheld and followed by all Courts in India ever since. The Supreme Court decided in that case that once an electoral process had started it should not be interfered with or interdicted at any intermediate --stage by the courts-even by'-the-High Courts acting in exercise of their extraordinary jurisdiction under article 226 o! the 23. AIR 1952 SC 6*. 2k. AIR 1978 SC 851 constitution. This golden principle of our election laws has been the guiding star for ali the subsequent judgements of the Supreme Court and the various High Courts on "this question- In the case of Mohinder Singh Gill (supra), the Supreme Court again reiterated the above views, summing up thus i "the word 'election* under articis 329(b) has a very wi"de^"cbiTno'fatTon~commer»cing from "the Presidential notification calling upon the electorate to elect and culminating in the fina! declaration of the returned candidate and that article 329(b) is a blanket ban .on fitigative challenges to electoral steps taken by the Election Commission and its Officers for carrying the process of election to its culmination in the formal d e c l a r a t i o n o f t h e /result*'* I n t h e c a s e o f A . K A L H a s s a n • 25 ' ~ ~~ ' y ^ a f p ~~ Vs. Union of India > popularly known as the West Bengal Electoral Rolls case* the point arose whether the preparation of electoral rolls would also be considered as a part of the election process . within the meaning of article 329{b) of the Constitution. In their detailed judgment recently pronounced on the 8th May ,1985 (though the matter was dismissed by the Supreme Court by a short order dated 30th March,!982) the Supreme Court has observed it might be difficult to hold that the preparation and 26 that revision of electoral rolls- are part of 'election' within the meaning o f article 329(b) of the Constitution, , but observed that it would be difficult to formulate a proposition which would apply to ail cases alike and the fact of each individual case might have to be considered for determining the question whether any particular stage could be said to be a part of the election process in that 25, Transferred Case No.3 of* 1982"" 26. 1982 (2) SCC 2U case. This latter observation obviously applies only in relation to those stages in the election process which are anterior to a writ notification for election. The process of election set in •motion by the writ notification and culminating in the declaration of result of election is undoubtedly the 'election' as contemplated under article 329{b). A similar doubt also arose whether the word 'election' as used in article 71 which provides that all doubts and disputes relating to the Presidential or Vice-Presidential election would be decided by the Supreme Court, has the same meaning as in article 329{b). This controversy was also set at rest by the Supreme Court in their 'decision reported as N.8. Khare Vs. Election' 27 Commission of India and the Supreme Court held.that the word •election' in article 71 also connotes the entire process of election culminating in a candidate being declared elected and that any doubt or dispute relating to the Presidential or Vice-Presidential election could be raised only by means of an election petition ft to the Supreme Court after the entire electoral process'"was completed and not at any intermediate stage. The decisions of the Supreme Court and the High Courts rendered over the last several years have also greatly helped the Commission in invoking and exercising its plenary powers of superintendence direction and control of elections to Parliament, etc., as vested by article 324-of-the Constitution. The Supreme 24 Court has held in Mohinder Singh Gill's case (supra) that article 324 of the Constitution is a 'reservoir of power' for the Election Commission for exercise of residuary power, in its own right, as a creature of Constitution in the infinite variety of situations that may emerge from time tp time in such a large ti 27. H Fi™" r r « 1 <% 3 <• Situations may^ arise which enacted law has not provided for, as iegislators are no prophets but pragmatists and the Commission may be required to cope with some such situation not provided lor in the enacted Jaws. To tackle such a situation, the Court added, "the Chief Election Commissioner has not to fold his hands and pray to God lor divine inspiration to enable him to exercise his functions or to perform his duties or to look to another outside authority for the grant of powers to deal with the situation." Article 32^ takes care of such surprise situations and operates in the areas left unoccupied by legislation. The court, therefore, upheld the power of the Election Commission to. direct a repoSl in the entire constituency If the circumstances so warranted, though the enacted iaws did not confer any specific or express power on the Commission so to do. The Supreme Court in the above referred case of Mohinder Ik Singh Gill has also held that article 32fr> on the face of it, vests vast functions in the Election Commission which may be powers or duties, 'essentially administrative and marginally even judicative 1 or legislative'. Such* marginal legislative power of the Commission has been recognised by the Supreme Court even in some earlier cases also, like, -Sadiq Aft Vs. Election Commission of India & Others. In this case, some of the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, I96S framed by the Election Commission in exercise of its powers under article 32^ and rules 5 and 10 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 were challenged and the Court upheld the validity thereof, thereby recognising the legislative power of theCj^mrnission. Even Parliament subsequently gave recognition, though indirectly, to this legislative power of the Commission •I'hen it provided in 1974 in section •77(1") of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 th«* - ,-->•• • party for the purposes of that section shall have the. same meaning as in the abovementioned Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 196S, as for the time bei^g in force, which has been framed by the Election Commission "m exercise of the said legislative powers. The above case of Sadiq AH also recognised the Judicative power of the Election Commission in relation to * the determination of disputes between the rive! splinter groups f\ of a political party. The Supreme Court in the case of All Party 29 Hill Leaders' Conference Vs. Capt. WA Sangama categorically held that while deciding such disputes the Commission is a judicial tribunal within the vmeaning of article- 136 oi the Constitution. Apart from deciding the controversy relating -to the jurisdiction of the High Courts under article 226 of the Constitution and the bar on the exercise of-such jurisdiction in. electoral matters as clamped by article 329(b), the decisions of the Supreme Court have also settled the question of respective jurisdictions of High Courts (acting as election tribunals) under a n k l e 329(b) and of the President and. Governors under articles 103 & 192 of the Constitution on the question of disqualification of persons for —being chosen as, and for being, members of Parliament and State Legislatures. As early as in 1953, the Supreme Court demarcated - t h e i r respective jurisdictions in the case of Election Commission 30 Vs. Saka Venkata Rao. The Supreme Court drew a clear dividing line and held that the question of disqualification, of any person ~~*ffd~rtT~whTcft "Tie~was suffering at the time of his elect ion. or prior thereto, i.e. the ouestion of Dj^eiec^tjon 29, AIR 1977 SC 2155 30. 1953 SCR 11 Uk disqualification, could •i 145 • be raised only before an ejection tribunal (now the High Court) by means of an election petition and that any question disqualification to which a member o! Parliament or of State Legislature became subject after his election, i.e., the question of post-election disqualification, couid be raised only before the President in the case of members of Parliament and before the Governors in the case of members of the State Legislatures under article 103 and 192 of the Constitution. Thus, whereas the President and the Governors cannot enquire into the cases of pre-election disqualification of members of Parliament and State Legislatures, the question of post-election disqualification of such members cannot be gone into by the Courts, f may like to add here by way of clarification that the questions of postelection disqualifications of such members are in fact and in essence enquired into by the Election Commission as the President and Governors in such cases are enjoined upon by the aforesaid articles 103 and 192 to obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and to act according to such opinion in these matters. t The procedural aspects relating to the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections have also been the subject matter of interpretation by the Courts. For example, the Supreme Court has helo that the electoral roils once published become final and the finality thereof cannot be called in question in any election petition and the elections! held on the basis of these rolls, even if defective, cannot be questioned or declared void on that ground. In a recent judgment pronounced on the 8th 31. lnderjit Barua & Others Vs. Election Commission & Others •-(AIR \9M SC 1909) in the West Bengal Electoral Roli case (supra),the Supreme Court has ruled that even if some of the claims and objections for inclusion and exclusion of nat-tos in the electoral . rolls have not been disposed of, the elections are to be held as scheduled. Earlier In the year J%9, the Supreme Court held that the electoral roli became final for the purpose of any election on the last date for making nominations in that election and np new names could be included or any existing names excluded ®r any other corrections made in the electoral roll after that date, likewise, the Supreme Court elucidated several points relating to the conduct of elections, like the scrutiny of nominations* conduct of poll, counting of votes and so on by referring to defects 33-39 of a substantial character or otherwise» in several cases. An important decision implicitly Says down that if a post in a constituency is vitiated, the Election Commission may declare the poll void and order a repolL for proving a charge of corrupt practice in an election petition, the same standard of proof is insisted upon as is required for proving a charge of criminal offence and the preponderance of probabilities is not considered enough to bring home the charge of corrupt practice to a candidate. 32. Saidyanath Panjiar Vs. Sita Ram Mahto " {AIR 1970 SC 314) 33.Brijendra Lai Vs. 3waia Prasad-(AIR I960 SC 1049) (Non-declaration of age) 3*.(A!R 1975 SC 127*) (incomplete adress) 35*Li$a Krishan'Vs. Mani Ram Godra (Civil Appeal No.*l23 of 1983' decjd,e.d. on 8.5.85 (incorrect serial number.of proposal) 36Xianu Ram Vs. Rikhi Ram & Ors»(AtR 1984 SC 1313) (Supplementing information) , 37. AIR 1965 MP 55 (name of constituency) 38. Mohinder Singh Gill Vs. Chief Election Commissioner & others (AIR 1978 SC SSI) 39. Km. Shradhha Devi Vs. K.C. Pant (AIR 198* SC 382) (Recount only if miscount at R.O.'s level). By such judicial pronouncements the Courts have not only explained the Saw as enacted by Parliament but have on several occasions pointed out loopholes or inadequacies therein. One of the earliest decisions to bring_ out such an inadequacy' was the one in the case of Saka Venkata Rao referred to above. In that case the Supreme Court held that the High Courts could "issue"'writs under article 2?£-of]Mthe_CpDStitution only to those persons or Governments or authorities who were amenable to their jurisdiction either by reason of their residence or location within the territories to -which their jurisdiction. extended and tfjpse writs could not rim beyond such territorial jurisdiction.. -Therefore, the Supreme Court held that the Madras High Court had no jurisdiction to issue a writ to the Election Commission which has its office located at New Delhi. This restriction on the powers of High Courts was later on removed by an important amendment In the Constitution by the Constitution (F)ftcenth| Amendment) Act, 1963 whereby the writ jurisdiction of the High Courts was extended even to those persons, Governments and authorities not resident' or located within the territorial jurisdiction of the High Courts, If the cause of action wholly or in part arose within such territories. On some • occasions, the judgments of the Courts have given rise to considerable heat and debate*, One such case which immediately come:; to mind was the judgment of Supreme 'ft' Court in Kanwar Lai Gupta Vs» Amar Naih Chawla. In that classic W. 1953 SC. I I H <'*!, AIR "1975 SC 30S case it\ i.which the role oi money power in elections and the expenditure .by the political parties on election campaigns came up for consideraion of the Supreme Court, the Court observed "that one of the objectives of limiting election expenditure was to eliminate, as far as possible^ the influence of the big money in the electoral process and'Its decisive rote in controlling the democratic process in the country. The Court held that the only reasonable interpretation oi' the provision (Section 77(1) of the R.P. Act, 1951} would be that such part of the expenditure by a political party which is incurred in connection with the election of a party .candidate, as distinguished from expenditure on general party propaganda, and of which the candidate knowingly takes advantage should be deemed to have impiiediy authorised by the candidate and should be included in the election expenditure of that candidate. This interpretation was not to the liking of some people and the)' felt that the.said judgment made a significant departure from the law on the paint as enunciated by the Supreme Court in the-previous cases. To undo the effect r * this judgment an Ordinance was issued within 16 days of the pronouncement of the above judgment .whereby an explanation , was added to the above referred sec don 77(1) IO provide that any expenditure incurred by any political party or by any other association or body of persons or by any individual (other than the candidate or his election agent) shall not be deemed to be the expenditure incurred.or authorised by a candidate "and it was applied retrospectiveiy. This.Ordinance was later on replaced by an Act, hi. Representation of People (Amendment) Ordinance, 197 (No. 19 of 1974) dated 19.10,7k " ' 43. Representation of the To restore the position of the' law as obtaining prior to the above mentioned amendment in 197^ a bill was introduced in Parliament in 197? when the J&.iata Government came to power. The Statement of Objects and Reasons of haf BiiJ stated that the aforesaid -.amendments. Jar from ensuring, free and lair' elections had the 'effect of increasing money power and it was, therefore, proposed to amend the Act to restore the position that obtained earlier. The BiH, however, could not become the law as it lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in August, 1979. The amended provisions of the law on ths point; came •up for further consideration recently before the Supreme Court in the case of P. Nalla Thampy Terah Vs. Union of India &; Others (Writ Petition No. 1177 of 1979). The Supreme Court has In their judgment dated S*^5 again decried the pernicious effect of big money, which is mostly black than white, in elections but nonetheless upheld the constitutional validity of the amended law, "though relunctantly". The Supreme Court, however, did noi decide the point whether Kanwar Lai Gupta's case made 'any departure from the Saw as earlier interpreted by that Court, Incidentally, the Election Commission, has recommended to the Government that the iaw should be amended to restore status quo ante as obtaining before the 197H amendment. ' -- -•- Another important case which led to several amendments • in the Constitution and the election laws, was the election petition . Bill No. 153 of 1977, •- 1S0 - questioning the election of the former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi'to Lok Sabha in I971 and tte cfccisian of the Allahabad High Court of 12th 3une, 1975. The Allahabad High Gourt in that case found Shrimati Indira Gandhi guilty of commission of certain corrupt practices through her ejection agent and other Government Servants and unseated her' from Lok Sabha. An Act was immediately passed by Parliament which clarified inscr -alia as to when a person could be said to have become a candidate at an election, when a person in Government service ceased to be in such service on his resignation, termination of service, dismissal, etc., and that anything done by a Government servant or any facility provided by him in the ^discharge or purported discharge of his official duty for any candidate would not be deemed to be assistance by such Government servant to that candidate and that any Government expenditure incurred in this. behalf would also not be deemed to be the expenditure incurred or authorised by the candidate. The amending Act also made another significant change in the law relating to the disqualification of persons found guilty of corrupt practices at elections. Hitherto, the law provided-* hat-any person found guilty*~^"commission of a corrupt practice would be automatically disqualified for a period of <S years from the date on which the order of the Court finding him guilty took effect. However, under the amended law the aforesaid automatic legal consequence of disqualification flowing from *&uch decision of the Court was done away with, it was 5. The Election Laws (AnionHmnnt\ &^.* ««•"• . • 151 • now provided that the case of every such person shall be submitted to the president for determination of the question whether such person should be disqualified for future elections and, if so, for what period (not exceeding 6 years). The law fur her provided that the President shall, obtain the opinion of the Election Commission on every such question submitted to hini and shall act according to such opinion. Parliament k(, ' ' also amended the Constitution whereby it provided that the election of any person who became the Prime Minister or the Speaker of the lok Sabha could not be challenged fay. means of an ordinary election petition before the High Court and that an election petition questioning the election of any such person could be filed only in such manner and tried by such authority as Parliament may be jaw provide. Simultaneously, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to try the election petitions relating to the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections was also withdrawn and vested in a special authority to be constituted by parliament by law. By that amendment, Parliament even proclaimed that the election of Shrirnati Indira Gandhi which was declared void by the Allahabad High Court was valid and that the judgment of Allahabad High Court to the contrary would be of no effect. On appeal, the Supreme Court though if upheld the election of Shrirnati Indira Gandhi but none-the-less struck down that part of the Constitution(39th Amendment) Act which proclaimed the validity, of her election on the ground that such' a proclamation was beyond the constituent power of Parliament. '•6. By the Constitution (39th Amendment) Act, 1975. * 152 « On the eve of 197? general election to the Lok Sabha, two Ordinances were Issued providing for the constitution .ofthe special authprities ior the trial of election petitions relating to the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections and the elections to Parliament of the Prime Minister and Speaker of the Lok Sabha. These authorities as envisaged in these two ordinances vtnere to consist of C J Members, 3 each to be nominated by the Government, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Howevers when the 3anata Government'came to power after 197?' genera! elections, these Ordinances-were replaced by two Acts which again specified the Supreme Court as the authority to try the election petitions relating to the, Presidential and Vice-Presidential elect j-ens and provided- ior the ; constitution of a one-man authority consisting of a judge of the Supreme Court to try election' petitions relating \. to the Prime Minister and Speaker, .It was under this latter Act that the election petition relating to the election of Shri Morarji Desai when he became Prime Minister in 197? was tried by a special authority comprising Hon. Mr* Justice P.N* Shagwati, the present Chief Justice of India. However, the above men'uoned special provisions in the Constitution relating to the questioning of Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections and elections' of "the Prime Minister and Speaker had a, short life and were dispensed with in 1978-and the legal position ' obtaining prior Disputed Elections(Prirne Minister arid Speaker) Ordinance, 1977 (No-2 of 1977) and the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections (Amendment) Ordinance, i$77 (No.I of. 197?) . The Presidential and Vice-Presidential, Elections (Amendment) Act, 1977, and The Disputed Elections (Prime Minister and Speaker) Act, 1977, * 153 *» to ' these amendments was restored entrusting the responsibility of trying the election petitions relating to the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections to the Supreme Court and the election of Prime Minister and Speaker to the High Courts. m position of ^qualification Consequent ' upon the .findings given by the Courts in election petTtlom*""tSe*Taw"provides -for imposition of a further penalty of disqualification under article 103, IG*>, 192 of the Constitution and section IHH) of the Government Territories Act by the Election Commission of Union in exercise • of its • quasi-judicial powers and after appropriate hearing, its recommendations to the President/Governors as the case may be. In addition, the Commission also makes its recommendations in issues relating to holding of an office of profit by a. legislator, In this connection, the Commission, has noticed in several cases coming up before it that the State legislatures are not only too liberal with the grant of exemption under the Removal of Disqualifications Act but In many cases, changes are sought to be made once a substantive question has already been .raised before the Commission. Whereas' the powers of the legislatures are unlimited, propriety, public morality and the spirit of the election law would demand that considerable self-restraint needs to be exercised to maintain the purity of the system by not unduly enlarging possibilities of distribution of patronage by the executive to ' the legislators, in fact the time has now come for taking a close look even at the existing laws with a view to reducing the scope of these exemptions. • 154 • . - While the constitutional amendment against defection has been widely welcomed and in fact has dealt a mortal blow "to the hydra-beacixi monster which scorned to be swallowing the system itself, it b felt that the scheme laid down in. the Constitution could have been reasonably adopted in the case of defections aiso. In the event of a defection taking ptace»further consequences like imposition of disqualification should have been left to the Election Commission so as to conform to the procedure prescribed under articles 103 and 192 of the Constitution. It Js note-worthy that the periodical holding of elections according to a stipulated time schedule and the purity of electoral process have been the touch stones for the courts -to determine the validity of the actions taken by electoral authorities and to test the legality and constitutionality of the various provisions of election laws, There is one case, however, which according to knowledgeable circles,, but with due respect to the Supreme Court,has not been helpful in advancing towards the epal °* purity of electoral process on somewhat too technical a ground. That is the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of A C 50 3ose Vs.Sivan Filial popularly known as the Electronic Voting Machines case. In order to improve and simplify our electoral system by making use of the tremendous technological and scientific advancement of the present times, the Election Commission had~^1nTro3uced in 1982, on an experimental basis, the Electronic Voting Machines, whereby the voting became much quicker, easier-~arrd^slrhpier and the rejection of invalid votes was totally 50. AIR 1984 5C - 1SS eliminated. The system which proved a great success was also helpful in checking the menace of booth capturing and impersonation because the register containing the signatures of electors who had voted was kept open for inspection under this system which could be subsequently scrutinised by interested parties lor necessary follow up action, which is not permissible under the present electoral* procedure*-^he—system could also result in considerable savings to exchequer as the printing g f c r o r e s of ballot papers at the time of the general elections could be ..avoided, the-campaign period could be reduced and results could be* announced immediately sifter the completion of the poll. The | above scheme was introduced by the Commission in exercise of its own plenary powers of superintendence, direction and control of elections under article 324 of the Constitution* However, the Supreme Court struck down this wholly laudable and salutary measure and held that the poll could be taken only by traditional means of the ballot papers and the ballot boxes as prescribed in the Conduct of Elections Rules framed by the Central Government. This judgment has in a way fettered the powers of the Commission itself in introducing innovation - the electronic voting machine being one such Innovations - to improve our electoral system, which the founding fathers of our Constitution perhaps never intended. Now, the Election Commission is prohibited from making use of these voting machines unless the parliamentary iaw provides for the some. This major judicial pronouncement points to the need for necessary remedial action by Piirliament to clothe the Commission with necessary powers to use these marl lines. * 156 reforms: ^ The Commission has been making recommendations for electoral reforms ever since 1970/After taking into account' the recommendations made by the 3oint Committte of both Housed of Parliament on amendments to election law, Tarkunde Committee and other also in the light of the experience gained during the elections held until that time, a package of proposals was sent to the Government in September 19S2. Thereafter some more 4 recommendations were also made after the elections to the Assam and 3ammu and Kashmir Legislative Assemblies in 1983 and the Lok Sabha Elections in 1984 and State Assembly Elections in 1985. Some of the salient recommendations ares -—"" Even though the Commission is one of the four main constitutional authorities under the Constitution, it did not enjoy the same privileges and safeguards as other constitutional bodies like Supreme Court, Comptroller and Auditor General* Accordingly, it was recommended to bring the Commission at a par with other ---'—constitutional bodies and also to treat the expenditur on the Commission as a 'charge (bn the Consolidated £und of India. The Constitution contemplates a law laying down the terms and conditions of service of :r~ the Chief Election Commissioner of India. The law has yet to be _enacted__jthough regulations were framed by the President on 25.5.1972 ... . Defections had become the bane of Indian politics and to contain unprincipled politics and corruption, the Commission recommended top priority to the enactment of an anti-defection measure. ; • 157 • • ' By the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976, the allocation of the seats in the House of the People to the States and the division of each State into territorial constituencies was pegged at the 1971 census figures and no reallocation and redistribution was to be done until the figures for the census taken after 2000 A.D. become available* This has resulted in disparities in the size of constituencies because of large scale influx of rural poor to the metropolitan cities. It was, therefore, recommended that the Constitution may be amended so that while the total number of seats allotted to various States m the' House of the People and in the various State Legislative Assemblies may remain unaltered, the original position of fresh delimitation after every decennial census may be restored. The Commission in its deliberations has pin-pointed several inadequacies in our electoral system. These proposals do not envisage any change in the present system of parliamentary democracy t nor do they contemplate such procedural changes as the adoption of the list system'or proportional representation in preference to the existing British pattern. <The ^ basic areas requiring immediate attention ares ^(a) Strengthening of the political party system; / ( b ) Curbing the role of money powers (o) Curbs against muscle power and (d) Curbs dgainst misuse of media a power. 1. STRENGTHENING OF THE POLITICAL PARTY SYSTEM * ,f 1. A law should be enacted not only to define a political party but also to provide for registration for - (a) Compulsory registration of politicai parties? (b) Compulsory' maintenance of accounts including all receipts and donations and expenditures; (c) Permissible acceptance of donations from companies * and individuals under proper receipt subject , .suitable : regulatory conditions like to prohibition of donation by public sector undertakings, companies • and tax relief with a ceiling in the case of individual donor; (G) Compulsory audit of accounts in so far as they relate to elections by an agency to be named y by the Commission; (el Rtesiduary democracy matters within like maintenance of internal the party and submission of periodical reports etc* 2. Effective steps to check growth of mushrooming parties and muitiplicty of candidates at the elections. 3* Effective steps to prevent defections. /k. Regular periodical elections down to the grass-roots - up to the Panchayat level* It is a matter of immense gratification that the new ^"Government has already Implemented i{a) and 3 above and these Steps have been widely acclaimed all over the country. The Commission, however, has suggested that the decision whether or not a defection has taken place to attract disqualification should be left to it, in consonance with articles 103 and 192 of the Constitution. II. CURBING THE ROLE OF MONEY POWER, (a) < Simultaneous elections to "the Lok Sabba and State Assemblies! Ab) Removal of ban on companies' donations subject to clear-cut regulations like"""pefcentage" "of dividend, fixation of upper celling, compulsory auditing o! accounts both of the political parties and the companies; (c) Reverting back to the Segal situation obtainingbefore • 197% when party expenditure was included in the ceilingfor individual expenses* (d) Reduction in the period of electioneering through the introduction of electronic voting device; -'tej Limited State Funding of election expenses, in kind, through free supply of electoral rolls, provision of stationery for identity slips,- subsidized broadcast/telecast over official neoia. UU CURBS AGAINST MUSCLE POWER . X 4m Suitable legal amendments to make certain cognizable electoral offences as cognizable; \b) Provision, fojr fresh poll .in case of of ballot papers and malpractices, coercion, destruction intimidation or impersonation; ^ - (c) Withholding results, pending investigations by the Commission on complaint against booth-capturing and on application for recount, if the margin of 'votes between the first two candidates is less than 2% of the total votes. IV* MEASURES TO CURB MEDIA POWER (a) Scheme for radio and TV time to recognised parties should continue! (b) Misuse by the ruling party should be treated as a breach of the Code of the Conduct* It would be worthwhile taking a quick look at the action taken so far on the above proposals, which were remitted by the Government to a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Electoral Reforms. It is a matter of immense satisfaction trnt the new Government at the Centre amended the Constitution to prevent defections. This measure has been widely acclaimed and. 1 have,.» L no doubt, that it will go a long way in curbing political corruption and cleansing pobifc life. The next logical steps to bar appointment of legislators as Chairman, Managing Directors or*. Directors of Public Sector Undertakings, with or without ministerial status, now seems to be over-due. A close look at the existing Members removal of disqualification Acts so as to drastically redefine "office of profit" would also appear to be desirable. What has not been noticed in the Anti-defection law is the fact that for the first time now the term "party" secures a Constitutional identity. So far, I have stated above, we did not even have a legal definition of a "political party!1* * It is necessary, however, to enact a specific iaw to: ""make for adequate regulation of the political parties so as to ensurestrengthening of the party system by eliminating chances of multiplicity while at the "same time injecting the democratic spirit through internal democracy within the parties. - -• tii It is a matter of immense satisfaction that the new Government has accepted another major recommendation of the Commission for withdrawing the ban on company donations subject to the conditions postulated by the Commission, namely^ non-applicability to public sector companies, permission only to those private restriction of companies which' are earning a profit, restricting the donation to 5% of the total dividend and finally, audit of such accounts. The amendment of the Company Jaw also provides for ratification of the proposed amount., of— donation at the annual general meeting. All this is a step in the right direction*- • • ( Recent experience has thrown up two major problemst and unless both these are tacJ^lod_JjTtrngdJ?>fpiy through suitable provision, in the law, the entire_system_j^ojjld__ctack^-. These are- j (a) Booth-capturing or rigging; and (b) Multiplicity of candidates. The recognised political parties were consulted about these changes and by and large, they are in agreement that rigorous steps should-be under-taken and some parties have made a few more suggestions which are pending with the Government for consideration. The Commission has however recommended changes in the law to take care of the following? BOOTH CAPTURING 1. r 'gg'ng» ' In the event of a complaint against booth capturing/ tne Commission after an enquiry through an .agency to be nominated by it should have the power to cancel and order fresh poll in the entire constituency. t - 1S2 2. Officials found after art enquiry to be guilty of conniving at any of the malpractices should be subject to penal action, the initiative resting with the Commission itself. Persons, found guilty directly or indirectly of booth capturing should be disqualified by the Commission from contesting future elections. ' Booth capturing to- be made a cognizable 5. offence. Persons with proven criminal records and a shady past, whose detention' etc. has been approved by the Judicial Advisory Boards etc* should be disqualified from contesting 136E of the Representation of the People elections. 6. Section Act 1951 can to a certain extent provide legal support but it has not got the necessary teeth to combat the growing menace. MULTIPLICITY OF CANDIDATES ^ I- . A candidate should not be permitted to contest from . . .more than two constituencies; .jJl..... The security deposit should be increased ten-fold which is in consonance with the increase in the cost of living eversince the first limits were fixed. 3. Security should be^/pxleiied if a candidate fails to get less Thain~l/fth~(against l/6th at present) of the total votes polled. /H« Nomination paper. should be subscribed by at least one proposer from each of the component assembly constituency in the case of a parliamentary election subject to a maximum of 10 proposers. Similarly, in the case of an assembly election. V nomination should be subscribed by at least one proposer each from different polling areas subject to a maximum of 10 proposers. Conduct O" tne basis of a broad consensus amongst the recognised! LIL__ political parties, the code of conduct was worked out. It has been further amended on the basis of recent experience. Even though the code has had only a' moral sanction, it is a matter of considerable gratification that the vigilant press and the politicallyaware voluntary organisations have served as effective watchdogs and instances of gross violations have substantially decreased in the recent past. Even sos constant vigil is still necessary, but- the Commission has also recommended that any violation . of the code should be treated as a corrupt practice under the election Saw. A reference has already been made earlier on pn.pes 3^-36k38>39 enumerating various categories of corrupt practices and electoral offences. The relevant laws will need to be strengthened on the basis of these recommendations. The election laws have, by and large, stood the test «*"-_* . __ _~ of time and have strengthened the roots of democratic system within the- country. In fact, 'we can look backwjth_D_ride__on the glorious record of our performance in the strengthening of democratic processes. The President in his Address to the 3oint Session of the Parliament in 1985 and later in his Independence Day message to the Nation on 1,5.8,85 stated proud!)'Jbui~£igktiy that : - -' "We have had elections to the Legislative Assemblies of some States in March this year. Closely following upon the earlier election to the Lok Sabha in December last year, these have further strengthened the democratic foundation of our polity. ,- 1S4 Our Constitution based on socialism, secularism and democracy' has withstood the stresses and strains caused by passing events". True, there have been occasional pitfalls and complaints . have been voiced against use of money, muscle and media power iru polluting the system. We have already discussed the legal changes necessary to curb the menace, ;but no amount of laws or their amendments can1 prevent a qualitative degeneration unless the political parties and the candidates pay due regard to the rules of the game and eschew unprincipled politics so essential for the survival of the system. Sn other words, law alone shall not succeed unless pure means are employed to attain pure ends. There is* of course, an indissoluble link between morality and po'i' :s and unless this is re-established as envisaged first fay Aristotle and nearer home by Gandhiji, to use his own words by "re-union of politics and ethics". He had emphatically stated that the two will have tol be brought together through the pressure of a broad movement of'public opinion arising and growing outside politics but impinging on it. S u ^ W * X ^ * J & ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ r a , x W * f l 8 tUstmmmxmx Such a code of ethics, he said, would cleanse both politics and society. It would be impossible to expect mere laws to provide the 'elan vital* to the democratic system. Considering the disquieting fact that the ethos around us is being progressively vitiated by violence, no time is more "prop it sous than now fcr .reinstalling Caridhiji's mantra of W ^ 3 ^ ^T«S ~<E.iriv*. along with his avowed principles of public morality, than now. That alone will sustain our democratic polity, all the laws notwithstanding. It might surprise you to learn that ^8 persons tncl 3 candidates during Lok Sabha elections _198fr__and %3 persons including candidates during ' Assembly electiojis- in 19S5 were <* 1*5 » • 5! murdered. (Bihar alone accounted for 28 and 51 respectively though India today of 15.3.85 and Illustrated Weekly of 15.4.85 placed the Jatter figure at 63 killed and 200 injured) By violence I mean not only physical violence like murders, booth-capturing, disturbance at meetings but also violence in the most genera! sense encompassing thought, words and deeds during electioneering. The President-older .statesman that he is -stressed Jhis in his 1985 Independence Day addrcsTT" "SM*™~~ "In recent times, we witnessed the emergence of violence and terrorism on an increasing scale, posing a serious threat to the democratic process and to the unity and stability in the country". - - - .. M It is not merely that political violence has alarmingly increased. It is that organized bodies of political opinion, no longer accept the Constitution as imposing on them rules, which, however, interesting they may seem, ought to be obeyed in the interest of orderly Government and peaceful change". I have said repeatedly in many forums that x resort to violence to solve any problem or redress any grievance has no place in our democratic polity - Social conciousness must be aroused and "harnessed against violence and the cynical attitude of treating human life cheaply. Let us not prove Mr. Grartviile Austin wrong when he Congratulated the Indian people for peacefully implementing the two wholly Indian concepts of "Consensus and 52 accommodation." . v When the nation has solemnly pledged itself to the counting of hcijds not only for forming Government but also 51.Statemcm of Shri S.ft* Chavan in Lok Sabha on 17.3.S5_ ___ _^ . 52. Indian Democracy - Hanson or Dotigias (p-^ TSie Indian rwKiit..*:^ <-- - as a way of life for the solution of ail f«ur problems, there is no scope whatsoever for breaking of heads, come what may. Srimad Bhagwat Gita sayss mm: O . Bharatl just as the Unwise afct with attachment, so shall the wiseman seeking the welfare of the people, act without attachment through the invaluable dictum enshrined in: "It is desire, it is wrath, begotten of the quality of "P[s| aii consuming and greatly sinful* know this to be the enemy here on earth". The country expects the system to throw up such wise men not merely as representatives but also as leaders in the widest sense of the term, for, Whatever a great man does, is imitated by others? -ordinary people adopt the example He sets up." Such leaders of public opinion, guided by high public morals and elected through a clean and fair electoral process by an enlightened and mature electorate, can alone deliver the * 1S7 . goods and what is more important, save democracy, which for survival* needs not only to become more pervasive and participatory but more ethical and "anticipatory* a term Aian Toffler gives to a more open, decentralized styie - as distinct from .centralized top-down, bureaucratic system - which attempts to involve citizens in State-wide or community-wide goal-setting. Gandhiji had also passionately pleaded that Swaraj lor him was incomplete and unreal without decentralization of political power right down to. the village level so that they may bring to life the seeds of a new social order and a new spirit. 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If. 1985 rr^rrfrrar ~ 1 87 ~ u ITM! iJ I i ! , %~frl I f F W T ^> STTT to !}> w KM 3TPffaT ^T f q T ' WfTRTT f ^ eVm I ?¥ ft'q i qq id I3ff ferlT 3fiT 3-fr TT^FT gfr iff 3TfT: . ^T d'-JrJH I cj \0 fg IFF n\V WE, i rP-TT f 3TtT 3TR , fFFTTTTF |<H6 I ^ i ^ J H v. x.. • x * 3TiTT ^ I ^ tl?~FFR" •qe-fTM. • •ft. 16- ] ! • 1985 Documentation Monthly \Jct-JK Eieetion Commission of India # • & • # - » •>;- -;:- # -x- -x •"- * * -x- # -x •«• -::- • * • * • * •;«• * * DOCUMENTATION MONTHLY * . * * DECEMBER, 1 9 8 5 . ^ * . * * * * * ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA * •if -::- - i i - - ; - r •;:• - ; « • -;;- -^- •«• • » •;:- ->s- * -x- # # # # # & # # # # # * _C £ ]•! T E H T £ CJjAJPTEFUI_ Books and Articles, 4 Notes on j u d i c i a l d e c i s i o n s in e l e c t i o n m a t t e r s . 15 Cases of d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n . 56 14 - 55 57 - 67 60 - 78 .CJjAPTER-IV Disposal of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s . CHAPTER-V Vacancy S t a t e m e n t s , CHAPTER-VI Commission's vieus and p r e s s s t a t e m e n t s on c e r t a i n a s p e c t s of e l e c t i o n s . 79 - 92 93 - 105 106 - 122 123 - 145 146 -149 C_HA_PTER-\/II. Revision of electoral rolls in Assam. CHAPTER-VIII General E l e c t i o n t o the House of the People and L e g i s l a t i v e Assembly of Assam. .• CHAPTER-IX Biennial and B y e - e l e c t i o n s . CHAPTER-X R e g i s t r a t i o n of Bhausaheb Bandodkar P a r t y . contd.. CHAPTER-XI Conference of t h e Chief Electoral Officers. 150 - 153 CHAPTER-XI I Press r e p o r t s on e l e c t i o n s and p o l i t i c a l systems of foreign countries and other matters of intsrast . 154 - 161 Au Revoir (A farewell reference ran retirement of former Chief Election Commissioner, Shri R.K.T 3TPT 162 - 164 TFcT^ 3ftT [65 - lH 172 - I8B The Documentation is intended to acquaint the Officers and staff of the Commission and the Chief Electoral Officers and their staff with a r t i c l e s on current p o l i t i c a l issues published in Periodicals/ Newspapers, received in the Commission's Library, Development in the field of Electoral Lau and Procedure, Progress in the disposal of election petitions, judicial decisions thereon, Commission's decisions on questions as to disqualification of members to either Houee of Parliament or of the State Legislatures end bye-elections to both Houses of Parliament and State Legislatures, This issue also contains special chapter on those topics, (i) Revision of the electoral rolls in Assam. (ii) General Election to the Houro of the People and Legislative Assembly of Assam. ( i i i ) Registration of Bhausaheb Bandodkar Party. (iv) ,. Vc) Conference of the Chief Electoral Officers. reference Au Reviir-A fareuall / on retirement of former Chief Election Commissioner, Shri R.K.Trivedi. CHAPTER ~ I BOOKS ANC ARTICLES A feu books have been added to the Library of the Election Commission* The details of the books are given in Annexure~I» A number of articles on current political issues and other matters of interest appeared in various periodicals/newspapers uhich were received in the Commission's Library during the month of iJecembar '85. A list of such articles as ara considered to be of special interest is given in Annexure-II. - 5ANNEXURE-I AUTHOR TITLE PUBLISHER Qhattacharya, Assam:Agonies and Mridul and Grievances. Gosuami,Sanjeeb. New Delhi, National, I9b5. Mishra,I.O. Systemic Strains And PSlitical Development in Assam. Uaranaaij Uijayshree Enterprises, 1905, Moody J r . Raymond A, L i f e After Toronto, Bantom,1985. Permanand Neu Dimensions i n Indian P o l i t i c s , Delhi, U.O.H,Publishers, 1985. Singh,Amrik Punjab i n Indian P o l i t i c s - I s s u e s and Trends. Delhi, Ajanta,1985, Life. - s a M:\itXU H£~ 11 AUTHOR TITLE REFERENCE A FOREIGN ELECTIONS AND POLITICS. ( a ) Maqazinas Cv/lien, Robert B. Hou To Talk To Gorbachev. Reg. the outcome of the Geneva Summit, Neusweek: November 25, 1985, pp. 12-14. Ghosh, Tirthankar Will SAARC Ever Succeed? Sunday: December 15-21, 1985, pp. 63-66. Newsweek: Kondracke»norton In Search Of The Deal. November 25, The writer concludes that 19B5, p. 15. tha most plausible outcome of the Geneva Summit will be the beqinninog of a new phase of negotiation in a relationship that hovers somewhere in limbo-betueen detente and cold uar. Tha Philippines;Getting All Act Together. Time*December 23 19B5, pp. 6-8« Reg. the forthcoming presidential elections in Philippines. Uatson,Russell Behind Closed Doors. Reg* the Reagan — Gorbachev Summit meeting at Geneva. The writer' concludes that the United States and the Soviet Union are still poles apart. But from now on, they may be more inclined to give each other the benefit of doubt. NeusueekJ December 2, T9B5, pp. 12-16, •» 7 — AUTHOR TITLE REFERENCE (b) Newspapers a,G.S# Rama Sarma, K.V.S. Subrke,Astri *Summit and after. *Post summit Europe. *Rsg. the outcome of the Geneva Summit. Lessons i n r e g i o n a l co-operation, Rag# the summit mesting i n Dhaka of South Asian Regional Co-operation. Patra,Saral Paul,Asit Abraham,A.S, Chopra,Uo Indian Exprass: Neu Delhi, uecember 7,1905, P.B. National Herald: Neu Delhi, December .7,1905, p.5. Indian Express: Nsu Delhi, December,9,19b5, p.6. SAAFiC: The Dhaka summit and beyond. Patriot:Neu Delhi, December 10,1985, p.4. Prcblams And Promise of SAARC. The Hindustan Times:Neu Delhi, December 11,1905, P.9, S i g n i f i c a n c e of SAHRC. National Herald: Neu Delhi, December 13,1985, P.5, D i r t h of SAARC:No Escape From Political Realities. The Time3 o f India: Neu Oelhi, December 14,1965, P,8. Asian Security and Ohaka Summit. Patriot:N B u Delhi, December 16,1905, P.4. Editorial Marcos u s . Aquino, ReQ« the forthcoming elections in Philippines. Indian Exprass Neui Delhi, OeCsrobsr 1.6,1985, P.O. TITLE AUTHOR B. INDIAN ELECTIONS REFERENCE POLITICS Banerjes, Indranil Indian Today:December Election On Accord. 1-15, 1985, pp. 36The uriter tries to sense 40. tha mood mood of the people on the eve of the Assam election* His assessment is that the dominent mood is one of pro—Assamese and anti-minority sentiment* The mood is also anti-Congress, Banerjee, Monidaepa Will Ray Prove His Mettle- Onlooker:December16— 31, 1965, pp. 41 & f*eQ. Siddhartha Shankar 43, Ray's prospects in the Dolpur constituency byeelection{Uest Bengal). Borololoi, David Takes On a Goliath. Onlooker:Oeceber 16Utpal The uriter says that Assam-I 1 • 1 9 G 5 ' pp' 3 7 ~ 4 0 * eighth general election will determine whether the vital north-eastern State would enjoy a spell of peaca or see further turmoil and unrest. Goswami, Sabita Pandit, Tooshar *Can R a j i v Reverse Assam Tide? Blitz:December 1 4 , 1985, p p . 1& 2 3 . *Assam:The Strokes. Sunday:Oecember 15, • 21,1985, p p . 4 6 - 4 9 , 51-52, Different * R e g . the outcome o f t h e e l e c t i o n s i n A g sam # S a x e na, Rashmi Youth o f t h e U o r l d U n i t e . R 8 g . t h e f i r s t NonA l i g n e d Youth Conference held i n Now j e l h i » Sunday: December 1 7 , 1985, p p . 2 6 - 2 7 , 29. •1 AUTHOR J — TITLE REFERENCE Sen,AnikenJra Nath Onlooker: -Jacember 15, Se tting Ths Im3ge Right. 19L5, pp. 0-9. Reg. the displeasure of sums Socialists within.the Congress against.the alleged deviation of policiss by Sh.Rajiv Gandhi's fafl™ t+ie path set by Shri Nehru and followed during the Jaast 30 years. Unnikrishnan, K.P, Does the Opposition Sunday:December 22-38, Have a Role in Parliament? 1905, p. 43. An Insider's view, Srikant IUI.December 0-14, 1 9 0 5 Excerpted from 'A P o r t r a i t 'P of Rajiv Gandhi1, by the author who is a distinguished hindi paet and t i l l recently General Secretary of Indian National Congress, This is an account of the style of campaigning by the PM. p ' 3Q ~*U (b) Newspapers Thakur, Jamardan Two Kinds Of Politicians — The Times of India? Inside Politics* New Delhi,December 1, 1905, p.I. Editorial Reservation Policy. National Heralds Delhi,December 2, 1985, p . 5 . •Editorial Deadlock On Mizoram. The Hindustan Times. N8U Delhi,December 3 , 1905, p . 9 . Reg. the Mizoram settlement t a l k s . MenonjN.C Barnala's Balancing A c t . Reg. the s i t u a t i o n in Punjab, Cua,H.K, R a j i v ' s Pakistan Dilemma. The Hindustan Times. New Delhi,December 4, 1985, p . 9 . Indian Express;New Delhi,December 4, 1905, p . 6 . AUTHOR Gupta, Sulekh,C* REFERENCE H p e r s p e c t i v e o f IncU> Japanese r e l a t i ons. Dora,Oulal An E l s c t i ; n ulith a " i fferance. Patriot:NGU Delhi, December 5,1985, p,4. Indian Express:; New Delhi, December 5,1985, P.4, Reg, the forthcoming elections i n Assam. Flukarji, Nirmal Policy Making in India-I, Mukarji, Nirmal Policy making in India-II. Indian Express: December 6,19B5, p.6. Khare, Harish Rama Rao And Hagds Limits of the NonPolitical Leader. Huue,Russell Uarran Conflicts .& Coalitionspolitical Adjustments in Reg. Shri Rajiu Gandhi's rscent visit to 3apan. — Indian Express: Neu Delhi,December 5, 1985, p.6. The Times of IndiaJ Neu Oelhi,December 7, 19G5, p.O. The Statesman:Delhi, December 7,1905, Lok Sabha Bye—ElectionsFocus On Voting Pattern. The Statesman:Delhi, December 7,1985, pp. 1 & 7. Ahuja, Charanjit Punjab:The Unresolved Issues. Indian Express(Magazine) Neu Delhi,December 0, 1905, p. .3. Pramod Chandra Hidden Hand In Assam. Case For Unity With Bengalis. The Sunday Statesman* Delhi,December 0,1905, P. 6. Houks On Doth Sides: Remaining Misgivings In Punjab. The Statesman: Delhi, December 9,1985,p.6. Singh, Amrik Mandal, S.N. Scheduled Castes & Tribes- - Indian Express: Centre1 s role and Neu Delhi,December responsibility. 9, 1985, p.6. ~ 11 ~ AUTHOR TITLE REFERENCE Garg,R.K, Patriot: ffcNew Delhi, Centra-State ties: National Consensus needed. December 10,1305, p. 4. Editorial Issues In Assam. • the forthcoming elactions in Assam, The Hindustan Times: Neu Jalhi,December 11,1905, p.3. Kiduai, Anser Assam Pall and issues. National Herald:Neu Delhi,December 12, 1905, p.5. Editorial Assam and Cong(l). National Harald:Neu Delhi,December 13, 1985, p.5. Paul,Asit Significance of SAARC. National Herald:Neu Delhi, December 13, 1905, p.5. Abraham, A.S. C i r t h of SAARC:NO Escape Fr^rn P o l i t i c a l R e a l i t i e s . The Times of India: Neu Delhi,December 14, 1965, p.Q. Editorial Prospects In Assam. The Statesman:Delhi, December 14,1985,p.6« Reg. the prospects of the forthcoming elections in Assam. Dhattacharyya, Oirendra Kumar Assam:Another Chance. Rag. the forthcoming elections in Assam. Heuendra, Narayan Indian Express(Magazins) Neu Delhi,December 15, 1905, pp. 1 & 6. Assam Election's, Indian Express(Magazine) The minority Vote hold the Neu Delhi,December Key. 15, 1905, pp. 1 & 6. The article describes the strategies adopted by the parties in the fray to woo the electorate in Assam. Gey, Hamdi Who's Not An Assamese? Reg. the foreigners i n Assam. The Sunday pp. 1^3,4. REFERENCE AUTHOR Editorial Electoral Sianals. Indian Express: Delhi,December 19, 1905, p.6. Editorial A Distinct Set Oack, The Statesman:Qalhi, uacember 19,1985, p.6. Editorial Electoral Signals, The Hindustan Times: New Delhi,Jecember 19, 1905, p . 9 . Editorial Outcome of Bye-elections. National Herald:New Delhi, December 19,1985, p.5. Editorial The Times of India: Assam After Punjab. New Delhi, D Reg. the defeat of Cong{l) 20,1905, p . 0 # in Assam Assembly elections• Editorial UYat Another Uarning. Rag. the outcome of byeelections to 7 Lok Sabha and 9 assembly seats held on 16th December, 1905. The Times of India: New Delhi,December 20,1905, p»0. Tharyan,P, Assam-Meaning Of The Mandate. The Hindustan Times: Neu Delhi,December 2 1 , 19G5, p . 9 . Editorial The Statesman:Oelhi, December 21,1985, p . 6 . Bolpur And After. ReQ. the outcome of the Dolpur bye—election. Abraham,M.S. AGP Triumph I n Assam: Need To Heal, Not Inflame Wounds, The Times of India: Neu Oelhi,December 21,1905, p.B. Editorial Indian ExPress:Neu Delhi,J e cember 24, 1905, P . 6 . P o l i t i c a l Reform. f<eg. State funding of elections. Mishra, Sudhanshu Patriot:Neu Oelfri, Harideo's strategy December- 24,1905, clinches at Churu. p»4. . Reg. the outcome of recent We-election in Chunjf • Rajasthan. AUTHOR REFERENCE TITLE Editorial '^Chance in Assam. National Herald: New Delhi,DacjnLer 25, 1985, p.5, Editorial *AGP In Office. The Hindustan Times: Neu Delhi,December 25, 1905, p,9. Editorial *No The Times of India: Neu Delhi,December 25, 19L5, P.O. Editorial Naming Shous The The Statesman:Delhi, December 25,1985, p,6. Editorial *Neu Start In Assam, *Reg« the installation neu Asom Gana parishad ministry in Assam, Indian Express:Neu Delhi,December 25, 19B5, p.6. A Word To The Wise. Hgg. the good performance of Shri Ra ,iu Gandhi as Prima Minister of India. The Hindustan Times: Neu Delhi,December B5, p.9. Hari, 0ai3inqh From Grassroots to Computer-I, Indian Express:Neu Delhi,December 25, 1905, p.6, Hari, 3a is ingh Congress at 100-11. Indian Express: g Battle for economic suaraj.Neu Delhi,December 26,1985,p.6, Reg. the 100 years of Indian National Congress. Editorial Uneasy Prospects, Easy Exit. Reg. the formation of neu ministry in Kiduai, Anser Patriot:Neu Delhi, 25,1905, p.4 Assam AccQrd:Schizophrenic National Herald: Strands, Neu Delhi,December 25, 1905, p.5. Suell,G,G. Options After Assam Poll. The Times of India: Neu Delhi,December 27,19b5, p.8, - 14 AUTHOR Abraham, A.S. TITLE REFERENCE Local Parties To The Fore. The Times of India! New jelhi,Jecember Growing Challenge To 27,19b5, P.O. Congress Primacy, Reg. the situation in Assam after the elections. Editorial Statehood for Goa. Indian Express: New Delhi,December 20,1905, P , 6 . Gain, Girilal The Congress A3 I t Was. The Times of India: New Delhi,December 29,1985, p . I . The auth°r takes stock of the achisvernsnts and prospects of Indian National Congress. Singha Rahul A Year of Healing, Rag. the major p o l i t i c a l svants of 1905. Indian Express: New Delhi,December 30, 1905, p . 6 . Dasgupta, Suapan Footnotes In History:Uhat Co Dye-olections Really Portend? Dain, Girilal The Year Of Rajiv/ Gandhi- The Times of India? P i t f a l l s Of Accommodation. Nau Delhi,December 31,1985, p . 8 . Gandhi, Rajmohan Images Of The Year. 3oshi, Navifl Chandra Rea. the images o f year 1985. New F i s c a l Policy. The Statesman:Delhi December 30,1905, P.6. Indian Express: New Delhi,December 31,1965, p . 6 , The Hindustan Times* New Delhi,December 31,1985, p . 9 # CHAhTEfi - II NOTES ON JUDICIAL DECISIONS IN ELECTION J"MTT£.-.S Under section 106 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the High Courts are required to send a copy each of tha orders passed by them in the election petitions. Similarly,under section 116 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Supreme Court is required to s end a copy of the orders passed in election appeals or urit petitions. Gists of these orders are published in this Chapter with a view to acquainting the readers of the salient points of the orders. This issue contains gists of orders of High Court in 10 election petitions — 7 from the High Court of Judicature at Madras, one from High Court of judicature at Ahemdabad and 2 from High Court of judicature at Combay. These petitions were dismissed by respective High Courts. The Supreme Court of India allowed the appeal the filed by an elected candidate against/order of High Court of Punjab and Haryana in Election Petition No. 1 of 1904 (Haryana) by which it declared void tha election of the returned candidate. The Supreme Court reversed the order of the High Court* - 15 A urit petition wa3 filed by Shri A.F,Golam Osmani on bahalf of 'lioordination Committee of (Minority Organisation1 in the Gauhati HiqltJ Court challenging the validity of orders, circulars, guidelines/instructions issued in connection with the revision of electoral rolls in Assam by alleging that these were violative of rules 10 to 20 of Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. The Hiqh Court dismissed the writ petition. Gist of this judgment is also given. The Supreme Court of India had made a short order on 20th September, 1904 dismissing urit petitions challenging the electoral rolls of 1979 on the basis of which General Election to Legislative Assembly of Assam were held in 1903, The Supreme of Court upheld the validity of the use/electoral rolls of 1979 in the General Election. It pronounced its detailed order on 30,9.1905 which is reproduced in full in the following pages. - 17 IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUOARAT AT AHHE.-'ADAD (ElQction Petition No. 2 of 1985) Satubha K. Vaghala . . . Petitioner - Versus — Zala Qigv/ijayasinhe Pratap Singhji"and others ... Respondents The election petition was filed by Shri Sutubha K» Vaghala, an elector* who filed his nomination papers for contesting election to the House of the People from 11—Surendranagar parliamentary constituency (Gujarat) in the General Election held in 1984, He filed his nomination papers between November 21 and November 27, 1984» Ho, however, did not make and subscribe an oath or affirmation as required by article 84(a) of the Constitution, The Returning Officer wrote a letter to him informing him about the lapse and advised him to rectify the defect either before him or the persons authorised by ths Elaction Commission in this behalf before the date appointed for scrutiny of nominations* In reply to this letter, Shri Vaghala wrote a letter on 22.11.1984 to the Returning Officer stating that it was not necessary to make and subscribe an oath or affirmation before the day appointed for scrutiny of nominations* According to him, he was required to makQ and subscribe an oath or affirmation only after he was elected as a Kember of Parliament and before he enters the - 10 Parliament. He further submittad that the requirement of making and subscribing an oath or affirmation before tha data appointed for scrutiny of nominations uas illegal. However, when the Returning Officer commenced scrutiny of nominations on November 28, 1984 Shri Vaghala expressed his willingness to make and subscribe an oath or affirmation and addressed a letter* dated 28.11.1984 to the Returning Officer. In this letter, the petitioner reiterated his earlier stand but expressed his willingness to do so in deference to the wishes of his workers. He annexed tn the letter forms of oath or affirmation which was signed by him. However» since hs had not made and subscribed an oath or affirmation before the day appointed for scrutiny of nominations, the Returning Officer by his order dated 23.11.1984 rejected his nomination. On a perusal of section 36(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and decisions of the Supreme Court in Pashupati Nath Us. Harihar Prasad (AIR 1968 SC 1064) and Hussain Khan Us. Nijalingappa (AIR 1969 SC 1034), the High Co u rt held that the oath or affirmation specified in article 84(a) of the Constitution was required to be made and subscribed before the date appointed for scrutiny of nominations* As Shrl l/aghala had not done so, his nomination papers were rightly rejected by the Returning Officer - 19 It added that It is trua that he was willing to make and suLscribu an uath ox- affirmation on the da to appointed for scrutiny of nominations but that was too late and even on that data it could not have cursd the defect in the nomination paper. He had to be qualified on the date appointed for scrutiny of nominations and he would not be so qualified if he had not made and subscribed an oath or affirmation as required by Article 84 of the Constitution. Ths election petition was dismissed with costs by the High Ccurt vide its order dated 6.8.1985, - 20 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS (ELECTION PETITION NOS. 2,3,6,8,9,10 and 11 of 1984). N.P.Rajan R. (% thivathanan K.Chandrasekaran R.Uijayakumaran S.Prakasam M.Krishnarnurthy M.Selvam G.Balaraman • » • • Petitioners S.M^Ramachandran and others . • • • Respondents Through these petitions, the petitioners called in question the election of Shri S.M.Ramachandran to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 8—Anna Nagar assembly constituency i n the bye-election held i n 1984. They alleged improper reception/rejection of voters and prayed for recounting of the votea« The petitioners subsequently f i l e d applications seeking withdrawal of ths p e t i t i o n s . After being s a t i s f i e d that the withdrawal applications were not induced by any bargain and after following the procedure prescribed i n section 11B of the Reprasentation of the People Act, 1951, the High Court allowed the petitioners to withdraw the petitions. - 21 - IN THE HIGH Cu'UHT C:J jUi-ilCATLT'E hi LJFiDA Y ( ELECTION PETITION NO. 11 OF 13G5 ) Tukaram Sukharara Bcrade • • Petitioner — Versus — Chagan Dhujbal and others • • Respondents Through this petition, Shri Tukaram Sukharam Dorde, a defeated candidate, questioned the election of Shri Chagan Bhujbal to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly fr^m 7-Flansaon assembly constituency in the general election held in 1985, He alleged that applications of 330 parsons for inclusion of names in the electoral roll of the said constituency were accepted but their names were not deleted from the electoral rolls of the other constituencies. There was thus non compliance with the provisions of section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 resulting in improper acceptance of votes by Returning Officer. This, according to him, had materially affected the result of the election in favour of Shri Chujbal. Shri Dorade secured 62, 447 votes as against 10, 63U votes polled by Sgri Bhujbal. The High Court ruled that section 30 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 bars the jurisdiction of the civil court to adjudicate whether - 22 any parson is entitled to bs registered in an electoral roll of a constituency or nut. It referred to decisions of the Supreme Court in Nripendra Dhadur Singh Us. Oai Ram l/arma and others (AIR 1977 SC 1992) and Indergit Barua and others Vs. Election Commission ( AIR 1904 SC 1911) in which it was held that finality of electoral rolls could not be called in question and that an election could not be questioned on the ground of defective electoral roll. The High Court stated that Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 prescribes the detailed procedure for revision of electoral rolls and that claims and objections can also be filed under these Rules, Out no objections filed at the relevant time by anyone to the inclusion of the said names. The High Court added that even if it was assumed that Civil Courts could adjudicate in the matter of electoral rolls, no evidence uas led to establish that inclusion of 390 names uas illegal. It uas also not established as to how inclusion of these names had materially affected the result of the election* The High Court, therefore, dismissed the election petition uith costs. - 23 IN THE HIGH CTUHT CF JUDICATURE AT GONLAY ( ELECTION PETITION No, 13 OF 19135 ) Suryabhan Sukadee Gadak • • Petitioner - Versus — Tukararn Sakharam Jighole and others • • Respondents Through this petition, Shri Suryabhan Sukadeo Gadak, a defeated candidate, called in question the election of Shri Tukaram Sakharam Dighole to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Sinnar assembly constituency in the General Election held in 1985. The only ground on which he filed the petition uaa that the first respondent Shri Dighole was having a subsisting contract with the government on the day he filed his nomination papers and that he had to pay over Rs. 1 lakh to the Government for breach of the contract. Shri Dighole was, therefore, disqualified under section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to contest the election. Shri Gadak prayed that the election of Shri Dig hole be declared void and ho be declared elected as he received the second highest number of votes. In reply, Shri Jig hole stated that according to Shri Gadak himself, there was breach or abandonment of tha contract by the former. The only remedy for - 24 ~ the Government was to claim damages which wers finalised by ths gavr'rnm-;nt vide their letter <'atod 12th November, 1904. There was thus no subsisting contract between him and the Government of Maharashtra The Counsel appearing for Shri Gadak contended that under clause 3(b) of the contract pressed into service by the Executive Engineer, the word "rescined" did not appear in clause 3(b) as in clause 3(a). Therefore, according to him this meant that the intention of the parties uas to keep the contract as subsisting. Secondly, clause 3 brought about a new relationship between the Government and the contractor about the manner in which the remaining construction work was tc be carried out on the terms and conditions of the contract. Thirdly, the rights and liabilities are governed by clause 3(b) and the terms of the contract and not on the basis of the principle of breach of contract. Fourthly, until the money due under clause 3(b) uas paid by the contractor to ths Government, the contract subsisted, as in tha present case the contract was not terminated and as such the contract subsisted. Fifthly, because of the applicability of clause 3(b) of the contract between the Government and the 1st respondent, an amount of Rs. 1,02,140.95 was due under the said contract and - 25 there f;_ru, tho cr.trrct was in subsistence till the payment uas m;. .u in visu of the ratio of thb decision in the case of Chatturbhuj Vithaldas Us. Moroshuar Parashram, A.I.R. 1354 Supremo Court 236~Head-ncte(s). Therefore Shri OigholQ uas disqualified under section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. On the other hand, the Counsel appearing for Shri Oighole , contended that clause 3(b) of the contract comes into play only when the contractor commited a breach of the contract and if the contract uas to be kept alive, than the action would have been under clause 2 and not under clause 3(b)« He submitted that the contract uas put on end to and the Government carried out the uork departmentally, and if the contract had been kept alive, then the Government could not have carried out the uork departmentally under clause 3(b)« Clause 3 of the contract referred to above provided that in the event of the abandonment of the uork by the contractor, the Executive Engineer concerned shall have pouer to (a) rescind the contract and forafeit the security deposit made by the contractor or (b) to employ labour and debit cost of labour and materials to the contract, or (c) to auard the contract to another contractor and to debit the excess expenditure to. ths original contractor* - 26 On the basis of the facts adduced before it, the High Court held that Shri Oighole had abandoned the contract as far back as on 25th January, 1982 and that the PidOi invoked clause (b) of the contract on 12th November, 1304. In the light of the observation of the Supreme Court in S. Flunishnnappa Vs. R.Uenkatarayappa (AIR 1901 SC 1177) that if the contract is discharged by breach the entire contract necessarily QOGS, it held that there was no subsisting contract between the Government of Maharashtra and Shri Oighole. It rejected the contention of Shri Gadak that uhile invoking clause 3(b) of the contract, the Executive Engineer had not used the expression that the contract was rescinded. Therefore, the contract continued to subsist*It also rejected the contention of Shri Gadak that the liability to pay damages created neu relationship between the Government and the Shri Dig hole. The High Court, therefore, dismissed the Election Petition uith costs, vide its order dated 11,9.1905. •* • »! » • - 27 - IN THE GAUHATI HIGH CDUFvT WRIT PETITION NO,970 OF 1 9u5 with H.F.Golam Misc. Case No.1210 o f 19L5, Osmani Petitioner Versus Election Commission of India & Ors. Raspandents The writ petition was filed by Shri A.F.Golam Osmani uhu claimed to represent a committee named "Coordination Committee of Minority Organisations of Assam" having five constituent minority organisations representing lakhs of people. He challenged the validity of orders, circulars and guidelines/ instructions issued in connection uith the revision of electoral rolls in Assam by alleging that these uere violative of rules 1G to Tc of the Registration of Electors Rules,1950 and articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. He sought a writ of mandamus and/or any other appropriate writ. He prayed that these guidelines etc.be withdrawn or cancelled and until "fair aid legal electoral rolls" were prepared, » general elections in Assam should not be called, TheWXit petition was heard by the vacation Judge on 7th November ,191)5. On the same day, a miscellaneous petition was also filed praying that the final publication of rolls may be ordered to be stopped.' The learned 3udge dismissed this miscellaneous ^Qtition holding that the final electoral rolls would have been published by the time any order was passed and as such issue of any order would be a meaningless exorcise. — 2 t i -<• As regards the questi' n of restraining the Commission from issue rjf the notification, the learned Judge held that he was bound ioy the judgments of the Supreme Court infSadig All case, Mohinder Singh Gill case and Electoral Roll cases of West tenqal and Assam and, therefore, could not interfere with the issue of notification calling general elections, Regar -ling the other issues raised in the writ petition, the learned Judge ordered thB issue of notice to the Commission returnable in 12 days. Such a notice was, however, not received by the Commission. The petition was also ordered to be placed before a Division £ench» Th e division Dench framed three legal issues; (i) Whether the petitioner had locus standi to file the petition which lbs claimed to be a public interest litigation ; (ii) Whether thg petition uas barred under Article 329(b) of the Constitution of India; and (iii)Uhether the cirauflars and guidelines impugned in the petition have vitiated the intensive revision of electoral rolls so as to merit interference by the Court in the srit petition. As regard the first question, the C.-urt observed that: "..whether a person is entitled to be registered or enrolled must Ueperd on his own facts and circumstances, It is settled law that the right of a citizen to be enrolled as an elector is an individual right ...» - 29 uhijle a representative petition as a public interest litigation may not be thrown out as not maintainable the decision on each individual claim or objection has to be given on the individual facts and circumstances and as such, it would not be possible to decide numerous cases in a representative petition without individual facts and circumstances being furnished to the' court... In the absence of individual facts and circumstances of 26 lakhs of people whose names have allegedly been deleted/rejected and in the absence of any information as to whether they sought remedies under the Rules, it is neither possible nor permissible to decide their individual cases in this petition, which is accordingly liable to be rejected." In regard to Second question, the court has held that the writ petition, to tha extent it seeks to affect and halt the election process, must be held to be barred under Article 329(b). AS reagjds the thrid question relating to the validity of the impugned orders/circulars and guidelines/instructions issued by the Election Dommissiun and through its instrumentalities, the ccurt observed as follows: "...The petitioner has not shown that these instructions have not been issued for the purpose of ascertaining or determining qualifications or eligibility for registeration of electors. It has also not been shown that those included in Part I of the List have been — 7n giuen different electoral rights from those included Part II uf the List* shown. No discriminatory result is Without being informed of discriminatory consequences of the above guidelines, it is difficult to hold that they are intrinsically discriminatory and viclative of articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India-....Ue are not inclined to hold that they are intrinsically violative of the Rules,1' The petitions uere dismissed by the High Court wide its order dated 25.11.C5, - 31 - IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA C I V I L APPELLATE D U R I S D I C m N ( C I V I L APPEAL NO. 4123 OF 1 9 8 4 ) L i l a Krishan Appellant Versus Hani Ram Godara & others Respondents An election p e t i t i o n No. 1 of 1984 uas f i l e d in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana by Shri Hani Ram Godara, a defeated candidate, and two others i n which they called i n question the election of Shri Lila Krishan to the Haryana Legislative Assembly from 78-Fatehabad assembly constituency in the held in December, 1 983. bye-election I t uas alleged that the nomination papers of S/Shri Mani Ram Gbapola Raj, Tilak tuo election p e t i t i o n e r s , were improperly rejected by the Returning Officer on the ground that the S.Nos. in the e l e c t o r a l r o l l of the proposers uere wrongly mentioned i n the nomination paper. I t uas argued that on the date of the s c r u t i n y , the petitioners and many others uere present at the time of examination and scrutiny of the nomination papers and that the Returning Officer initially hold those nomination papers to be i n order but later on rejected the nomination of S/Shri Hani Ram Ghapola and T i l a k Raj on the same day on the ground thet S.Nos. of the proposers given in the nomination papers did not t a l l y u i t h those tho e l e c t o r a l r o l l . in I t uas alleged t h a t S.Nos, given - 32 - in nomination papers were tampered with at tho instance of tho Chief Minister. Tho High Court hold rejection of nomination of S/Shri Fir-mi Ram Ghapola and Tilak Raj to bo improper I t allowed the election petition by holding that the Returning Officer could trace out the correct S.Nos. from the e l e c t o r a l r o l l vide i t s order dated 28.8.84 and castigated the Returning Officer by himself for manipulating or manipulating tampering by some one e l s e . Bo ing aggrieved by tho order of the High Court, the Q looted candidate Shri Li la Krishan filed this appeal in the Supreme Court. The Supremo Court absolved the Returning Officer of the charge of manipulation as there was no evidence to prove t h a t . Officer As regards ths contention that Returning could find out tho correct S.Nos. of the tuo persons whose nomination papers were rejected, it reiterated i t s e a r l i e r stand that "election proceedings arc s t r i c t in nature and what is re-uirod to bo performed in a particular manner has/,be done as required and s u b s t a n t i a l compliance has ordinarily no place while dealing with the Act or the Rules made thereunder". I t added that to cast the obligation on tho Returning officer to look through the entire e l e c t o r a l r o l l s T) Please sec a "gist of the judgment on pp.30-35 of Documentation Monthly - October,1984. of a ' - 33 particular part with a view to finding out the identity if tho proposer is not the requirement of the leu. Such an obligation if cast will bo unworkable especially during General Elections. It added: £of "Defects covered by the proviso to S.33(4; could cosily be resolved if people authorised under s.36(i) of tho Act are present at the time of the scrutiny.. What could bo resolved or overlooked in case propor stops ucro taken in duo timo has become a major issue loading to rejection of nomination papers in tho instant case mainly on account of the absence of tho candidates, their election agents or oorsons interested in them at the timOj/scrutiny. No one was available for instance, when the Returning Officer took up the nomination paper of Flani Ram Ghapola, to indicate to the Returning Officer that his serial Number in tho electoral roll uas 26 and not 126. If this had been pointed out and on summary enquiry tho Returning Officer ues satisfied that it uas a mistake, clerical in nature, and tho identity of Brij Bhushan uas n:t in dispute, that would have been end of the matter. If the correlation has not boon made and the Returning Officer has no assistance to fix up tho identification it cannot bo said to be defeat not of substantial character, Uo reiterate that it could not be a statutory obligati -n of the Returning Officer to scrutinise tho electoral roll for finding out the identity of tho proposer when tho serial number terns out to be urong. But if interested and competent persons poiht out to tho Ret urnirg Officer that it is mistake, it would certainly bo his obligation to look into the matter to find out whether tho mis take is inconsequential and has, therefore, cither to be permitted to bo corrected or to bo overlooked." - 34 - Tho Supreme Court acHod that i f Officer is identify not i n a position to the correlate and the proposer, the mistake u i l l covered by sub scction(4) Returning not bo of sec.36 of tho Representation of the People Act,1951 as already held by i t Mohan in Brij Us. Sat Pal(C.A. No. 2658 of 84, disposed of on 13.3,1985. It, therefore, set aside the of the High Court against the Returning Officer and alloucd the aopoal , with costs vide i t s dated 8.5.1935. observation order - 35 IN THE SUPREME COUrtT OF INDIA ORIGINAL JURISDICTION TRANSFERRED CASE NOS.3S4 TO 382 GF 1964 INDFwUIT BARUA & GRS.,etc. PETITIONER VERSUS ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA & ORS. RESPONDENTS. RANGANATH fiISHA.3 At the conclusion of the hearing, in view of the urgency of the matter as also the importance of the issues involved, U Q made an order on September 28,1984, setting out briefly our conclusions and had indicated that detailed reasons would be given in the judgment to be delivered later* On the 12th 3anuary,1983, election to all the 126 seats of the Assam Legislative Assembly was notified to be held in February,1983, Very disturbed conditions had been prevailing in Assam for a feu years prior to this period and one of ths issues leading to the agitation uas the electoral rolls uf 1979 prepared under the Representation of the People Act,T95O(»1950 Act' for short). When general election uas notified a set of writ petitio.ns were filed in the Gauhati High Court being Civil Rules 87 and 228-246 of 1983. The first application asked for a mandamus to the Election Commission and the State Government then under presidontT3 rule not to hold elections on the basis of the defective alectoral rolls and to defer holding of elections on account of tha prevailing disturbed - 36 situation in the State* In the Second group of urit petitions the Cuurt uas asked to issue a mandamous for preparation of fresh electoral rolls according to law before election could be held and to restrain the Commission and the State Government from holding election on the basi3 of defective and void electoral rolls. The High Court did not grant interim order of stay of election though the urit petitions uere entertained. Consequently, elections uere held to the State Legislature and by Notification of February 27,1983, the results of the election uere duly notified, A number of urit petitions uere then filed in the Gauhati High Court more or less making similar allegations and substantially challenging the electoral rolls of 1979 and questioning the validity of all the elections to the Legislative Assembly and praying for dissolution of the House, in some of these applications relief cf quo-uarranto uas also asked for against named returned candidate. These urit petitions uere numbered as Civil Rules 524,691-693, 695-699,706-707, 694 and 525 of 1903 and uere in due course transferred to this Court,at the instance of the Election Commission for disposal. They have therefore, been assigned neu numbers as Transferred cases. Us have thus tuo sets of cases, transferred from the Gauhati High Court, the first set challenging the electoral rolls of 1979 and the Notification for holding of the elections and asking for staying of tho elections and the second set - 37 challenging the elections after they uere held and notified en the ground that the holding of elections on the basis of the valid electoral rolls of 1979 was contrary to law and vitiated the elections. Our order of September 26, 19B4, not only indicated the conclusions but also provided brief reasons for the same. U G > therefore, proposs to refer to the relevant portions thereof on each issue arising for consideration. Dealing uith the challenge to the validity of elections to Assam Legislative Assembly, ue had said: "The principal ground on which the validity of the elections has been challenged is not the electoral rolls uere not revised before the elections in contravention of the provisions of section 21, sub section 2(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 195G and the elections uere held on the basis of electoral rolls of 1979. t\lou it is undoubtedly true that electoral rolls uere not revised before the impunged elections uere hold but the Election Commission dispensed uith the revision of the electoral rolls by an order dated January 7, 19c3, made under the opening part of section 23, sub section (2) and this order has not been challenged in any of the writ petitions. Hence the impunged elections cannot be challenged on the ground that they uere without revision of the electoral rolls. The petitioners also attached the validity of the electoral rolls of 1979 on the ground that the Election Commission had by the ~ 38 Nota dated September 18,1979, erroneously directed the electoral authorities in charge of revision of the electoral m i l s not to delete the names of any persons from the electoral rolls on tho ground of lack of qualification of citizenship sinco the question of citizenship was not one which could bo decided by the electoral authorities and the electoral rolls of 1979 wore, therefore, invalid and tho impugned elections held on the basis of the electoral rolls of 1979 uere void. Ue do not think there is any substance in this contention. In the first place, Art.329(b) of tho Constitution bars any challenge to the impugned elections by a urit petition under Art.226 as also on the ground that the electoral rolls on the basis of which tho impugned elections were held uere invalid. sought to escape The petitioners from the ban of Art.329(b) by contending that they are challenging the impugned election and that the ban of Art.329(b), therefore, does not stand in the way of the writ oetitions filed by them challenging the impugned elections. But we do not think this escape route is open to tho petitioners. There is in the Representati n of the People Act, 1951, no concept of elections as a whole. Uhat that Act contemplated is election from each contituency and it is that election which is liable to be challenged by filing an election petition. It may be that there is n common ground which may vitiate - 39 - the e l e c t i o n from a l l the c o n s t i t u e n c i e s , so i t from each constituency which has i s the e l e c t i o n to bn challenged be i d e n t i c a l . but even though the- ground of challenge may Even where in form the- challenge i s the e l e c t i o n s K-S a whole, in effect to and substance what i s challenged i s e l e c t i o n from oach constituency and Article 329(b) must, t h e r e f o r e , be held to be a t t r a c t e d , Ue are of the view that nnce the f i n a l electoral r o l l s are published and e l e c t i o n s are held on the basis of such e l e c t o r a l r o l l s , anyone to challenge or constituencies i s not open to the e l e c t i o n from any constituency on the ground t h a t the r o l l s uere d e f e c t i v e . for it electoral That i s not a ground available challenging an e l e c t i o n under s.100 of the Representation of the Peoole Act,1951. The finality nf the e l e c t o r a l r o l l s cannot be a s s a i l e d in procseding challenging the v a l i d i t y of an e l e c t i o n held on the basis of such e l e c t o r a l r o l l vide Kabul Singh V.Kundan Singh,(1970) I SCR 845. Article 329(b) in our opinion c l e a r l y bars any writ p e t i t i o n challenging the impugned election on tho ground t h a t the e l e c t o r a l r o l l s of 1979 on the basis of which tho impugned e l e c t i o n s were held uere invalid." Article 329(b) of the Constitution provides. "Notwithstanding anything in t h i s (a) X X X X Constitution, XX - 40 (b)No election tc uithor House of Parliament or to tho House or either House of of the Loois loture or a state shall be called in question oxcept by an election petitionpresented to such authority and in such manner as may be provided for hy or under any law made by the appropriate legislature". Therefore, an election can be challenged only by filing of an election petition in the manner prescribed by the Representation cf the People Act., 1951. A Constitution Bench of this Court in 3aqan Nath V. 1 3asuant Singh & Ors,, has said: "Tho general rule is we 11 • settled that the the statutory requirement of election lau • must be strictly observed- and that an- election contest is not an election at lau or-a suit in equity but is a purely statutory proceeding unknown to the common law- and that- the Court possesses no common law 2 In Hari Uishnu Kamath V. Syed Ahmed Ishag & 0rs« Uenkatarama Ayyar, 3. Spoakim for the C->urt, said; " These are instances of original proceedings calling in question an election, and uould be uithin the prohibition enacted in Article 329 (b),. 3ut uhen once proceedings have been 1.1954 SCR 892 2.1955 SCR 1104 nt 111 . - 41 instituted in accordance with Article 329(b) by presentation of an electi n petition, the requirements of that article are fully s a t i s f i e d Thereafter uhen the electi n netitinn is in due course heard by a Tribunal (nou the High Court) and decided, whether i t s decision is open to attack, and if so, uhara and to what SKtcnt, must be determined by the- general lau applicable to decisions of Tribunals. The vieu that Article 329(b) is limited in i t s operation to i n i t i a t i o n of proceedings for setting aside an c-lactinn and not to the further stages follo'jinq on the decision of the Tribunal is considerably with reference to a candidate whose election hns been set aside by the Tribunal." To the same effisct are the observations of another Constitution Bench in the case of Durga Shankar MehtaU.Thakur Raghuraj Singh & Ors., Flukher jea,3 # (os he then uas)spoke for the Court thus: "The non ^bstrmte clause with which article 329 of the Constitution begins and upon which the respondents1 counsel lays so much stroes debars us, as i t debars any other court in the land, to entertain a suit or ?. proceeding calling in question any election to the Parliament or the state legislature. I t is the Election Tribunal(Nou the High Court alone that can decide such disputes, and the proceeding has to be initiated by nn elacti 'n netition and in such manner as may bo provided by a statute, " 3, 1955 5.C.R. 267. - 42 - These arn clear authorities and the position, has never boon assailed-in support r f the potitinn that an C! lection can 'oe challenged only i n the manner prescribed by the Act. In this view nf ue had concluded that w r i t -otitions the matter, under 2^6 challenging the election to the State Article Legislature were not maintainable and election p e t i t i o n under section 81 of The the Act had to be f i l e d in the High Court. Act does not contemplate a challenr-a to the election to the Legislature as a whole and the scheme of the Act is clear. Election of each of the returned candi- dates has to be challenged by f i l i n g election p e t i t i o n * quite s t r i c t The proceedings under the Act are and clear provisions hou an election p e t i t i o n be parties of a separate have been made as to has to be f i l e d and who should to such election p e t i t i o n . As ue have already observed, uhon election to a legislature held i t is elections not one election but there are as many as the- Legislature to the elections by f i l i n g is has members. The challenge to the Assam Legislative Assembly p e t i t i o n under A r t i c l e was, therefore It is not to able i n the admitted case of the electoral r o i l s 226 of the constitution law. "lartias before us that of a l l the constituencies one i n the State of Assam,uero last revised excepting intensively during the year 1979 with reference to Danuary 1 , 1979 as the qualifying date. In the case of No.114- - 43 3onai(S.T.) Assembly Constituency only summary revision uas undertaken ns intensive reuisinn uas not possible for tho reason thnt thoso areas UOTB by flood water at the relevant time. submerged heavily The general election to the House of Parliament uas held in 1900 on the basis of the said electoral rolls. An annual revision of tho doctoral rolls as per requirement of the low as nlso the practice obtaining in the rest of the country could not be undertaken in 1980-81 or 1982 mainly on account of adverse lau and order situation prevailing in tho State, The Legislative Assembly of the State of Assam had been dissolved by the President acting, under Article 356 of tho Constitution by proclamation dated March,19,1982, and tho extended period uas due to expire on Inarch,19, 0 3 . ^ The Election Commissi -n uas intimated by the Union Government on 3enuary 6,1983, that tho Presidential proclamation would he revoked by tho end of February, 1 983. folding ^ f election in Assam for constituting tho Legislative Assembly ueil before the und of that period, therefore, become an immediate necessity. The Election Commission had herdly oir-ht uoeks1 time in its hand to complete the process. Without loss of further time the Commission issued the Notification.announcing.the election programme on January 12,1983, and the election uas proposed to bo hold on tho basis of tho existing electoral rolls of 1979. - 44 According to the no titi nnars the electoral rolls of 1979 without being ap ropriotely revised as required by law were not tho proper rolls on the basis of which election could have been conducted. It hns been pointed out that the process of revision had been undertaken but the Election Commission suddenly stooped it and decided that the unrevised and out of date rolls would provide the basis for holding of the elections. It is tho submission of the petitioners on the- basis of a decision of this Court in Chief Commissioner.A.jmer U.Radhey Shyam Doni that it is essential for democratic elections that proper \ electoral r~lls\phould bo maintained and in order that \. tho some may bo available, it is necessary that after the •ironaration of the electoral rolls opnortunity should bo given to the parties concerned to scrutinise whether tho persons enrolled as electors possess the requisite qualifications. Opportunity should also be niven for the revision of tho electoral rolls and for the adjudication of tho claims for being enrolled. Unless those arc dons tho obligation cast upon those hold ng thu a lections is not discharged and the elections held on such imperfect electoral rolls would acquire no sanctity and would be liable to be challenged at the instance of the -arties concerned. In the case- referred to above, validity of municipal elrcti -ns was under consideration. Obviously provisions - 45 of Article 329(b) of the C-nstitution had no application to such election and this Court was dealing uith the statutory requirements for elocti holding of tho ns, Challenge to tho 1979 electoral r o l l s is on the basis that persons uho are not citizens of India have been included in tho electoral r o l l s . Infiltration of people from outside of their India into Assam and inclusion names in the electoral r o l l s constituted one of the main grounds for the agitation in Assam. Section 16 of tho 1950 Act clearly provides that a person shall be disqualified electoral r o l l if for registration he is not a citizen in an nf India', Do tailed provision has boon made in the Registration of Electors Rules to raise objection to tha inclusion of the name of a disqualified person. Part III -if the 1950 Act makes provision for electoral r o l l s for Assembly Constituencies. Section 21 deals uith preparation and revision of electoral r o l l s ; section 22 provides for correction of entries in electoral r o l l s uhile section 23 authorises inclusion of names in electoral rolls. Section ?4 provides and appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer fr->m arny order made by the E'octoral Registration Officer under 8.22 and 2 3. Section 21 making provision for proporati >n and revision of electoral r o l l s runs thus: (i)Tho electoral r o l l for dach constituency shall be prepared i n the prescribed manner by reference - 46 - to the qualifying late and shall come into force immodiatc ly upon its final -IUC lication in accordap.cG with the rules made under this Act. (?) (a) The said electoral roll: shall, unless otherwise directed by the ElectionCommission for reasons to he recorded in writing, be rsvisod in the described manner by reference to the qualifying date (i) before each general election to the Houso of people or to the legislative assembly of a State; and • (ii) before each bye-election to fill a casual vacancy in a scat allotted to the constituency; and (b) shall be revised in any year in the prescribed manner by reference to the qualifying date if such revision has been directed by the Election C -mmissions Provided that if the electoral- roll is net revised or continued operation of the said electoral roll shall not thereby bo effected. (3) X X X X XX X X X X X X X X X X X X X The proviso, thorfore, makes the positi n cloar beyond doubt that if for some reason an electoral roll is not revised as required by sub—s#(2),the unrevissd roll is not affected in any way and continues to he the electoral roll holding the field. Dealing with the aspect about the validity of electoral rolls of 1979, uo he--:': indicated: "UG may also point out that in nur opinion the electoral rolls of 1979 cannot be condemned as invalid. The countcr/affidavits of Shri Ganeshan Secretary to the Electv?n Commission and 5hri Ashok Kumar Arora, additional Chief Electoral - 47 Electoral Officer, Ass^m, clearly show that the procedure proscribed by tho•Representation of the People Act,1950, for revision of the electoral rolls -Jos followed. The Prass Note dated September 18,1979, on which considerable reliance uns placed on behalf of the Totitionors must be rend along with the correspondence exchanged between the Chief • Electoral Officer, Assam and the Secretory to the Election Commission prior to the issue of the Press Note and if all these documents are read as a whole, it is clear th q t no instructions uero issued by the Election Commission to the Chief Electoral Officer not to decide the question of citizenship if any objection to a particular entry in the draft electoral rolls uas raised on the ground of lock of qualification of citizenship. All that the Election Commission directed the Chief Electoral Officer to do ug.3 to proceed on the basis that those-whose names ware already included in the previous electoral rolls—and we may point out that the electoral rolls of 1977 on the basis of which the election to the Assam Legislative Assembly were hold in 1978 wore not at any time challenged by any of the petitioners- should be prima facie regarded as satistying the qualification of citizenship and if any specific perann on the ground of lack of qualification of citizenship was raised, it should be decided by the appropriate electoral authoritues and the burdon of showing that such person uas not a citizen should be the objector. - 4G ~ " Ue are informed and the affidavits also go to shou that in fact a large number of objections b3sed on the nound of lack of qualification of citizenship were disposed of by the appropriate electoral- authorities aftar-the publication of the draft electoral rolls. So far as tho inclusion of any neu names in the draft electoral rolls uas concerned, the Election Commission directed that the utmost care should be taken to ensure that only citizens were enrolled as electors. in any uay Ue do not think that these uere indefianco of the provisions of the Representation of the People Actj 1950, and the Electoral Registration Rules, 1960 made under that Act. The electoral rolls of 1979 must, therefore, be regarded as not suffering from any legal infirmityj though ue may reiterate once again that even if the electoral rolls of 1979 uere invalid, that would not affect the- validity of the impunced elections ncx would a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution be maintainable for challenging the impunged election. " From the materials placed by the parties and the Election Commission, we have come to the conclusion that the Election Commission, did not give directions contrary to the requirements of s. 16 of the Act and the revision of the 1979 electoral rolls could not be undertaken for reasons beyond the control of the Election Commission. As - 49 pointed out by us in our order of September 28, 1984, there was no dispute to the Electoral roll of 1977 nor was any challenge advanced against the election of 1978 to the State Legislature held on the basis of such rolls. of Admittedly, the 1979 rolls ware the outcome/intensive revision of the rolls of 1977. That being the position and in vieu of the proviso to sub-section(2) of S # 2 1 which ue have extracted abovo the electoral rolls of 1979 uero validly in existence and remained effective oven though the •i process contemplated in sub-s» (2) f or revisi -n had not '' either been undertaken or completed. It has been indicated by a Constitution Bench decision of this court in Lakshi Choran Son & Ors.v. A. K.M. Hassan Uzznman & Ors,. that preparation and revision of electoral rolls is a continuous process not connected with any particular election but when an election is to be held, the electoral roll which exists at the time when election is notified would form the foundation for holding of such £3 lection. That is why sub-s.(3) of s.23 provides for suspension of any modification to the electoral roll after the last date of making of nomination for an election and until completion of the raloctinn. Ue had, therefore, come to the .conclusion that the electoral rolls of 1979 worn not invalid and could provide the basis for holdinQ of the elections in 1983. Uhother preparation and - 50 - publication of the electoral r o l l s are a part of the process of olectinn within the moaning of Article 329(b) of tha Constitution is the next aspect to be considered. In N. P» Ponnuswami, y. Returning, Officer. Namakkal Constituency & Ors., this court had to decide the amplitude of tho torm"election." Fazal All, 3.speaking, for the Constitution Bench indicated;. "It seams to me that the word f election 1 has been used in Part XV of the Constitution in the uide sense, that is to say, to connote the entire procedure to be -jo- through to return a candidate to the- l e g i s l a t u r e . The use of the expression "conduct of eloctinns" in .article 324 specifically points to the wide meaning', and that meaning can also be read • consistently into the other provisions which r occur in Pert XV including- a r t i c l e 329(b). '"'-' That the word"election" bears this vide meaning whenever we talk of elections in a•democratic country, is borne out by the fact that in most of the books on the subject and in several cases dealing with the matter, one of the-question mooted is', when the election begins, The subject is dealt with quito concisely in Halsbury's Laws of England in the /o^VTHf1"10. passage under the heading "Commencement of theZ "A I t hough the first formal stop in every election is the issue- of the writ, the election i s considered for some purposes to begin at an ear liar date-. I t i s a question of fact in each cose when an election begins in such a way as to make the parties concerned responsible for broaches of election law, the test • being whether the contest is "reasonably imminent11. - 51 - Neither the issua nf the u r i t nor the publication of the notice of election can bo looked to as fixinq the date when an election begins from t his point of view. Nor, again does the nomination day afford any c r i t e r i o n . will usually begin at least earlier issue of the u r i t . The election then the The nuestion when the election banins must bo carefully distinguished from that as to uhan"the conduct and manariemont of "an election may be said to begin. question as to ubon a particular Again, the person commences to be a candidate is s question to be considered in each case. The doscuss-' on in this passage makes i t clear that the word "election" can bo and has been appropriately used-with reference to the entire process which consists of several stages and ombroces many stops, some of uhich may- have an important bearing on the r e s u l t of the process". Ue are not prepared to take the view that preparation of electoral r o l l s is also a process of election. Ue find support for our vieu from the observations cf Chnndrachud,C3. in Lakshi Charan son's case (supra)that " i t may be difficult consistently uith that view, to hold that preparation and revision of electoral r o l l , is a part of election" within the meaning of Article 329(h)". to the electoral r o l l for In a suitable case challenge not complying uith the requirements of the law may be entertained subject to the rule indicated in Ponnusuami's caso (supra). election But the of a candidate is not open to challonne on the score of tho electoral r o l l being defective. Holding - 52 tha election to the legislature and holding thorn according to law arc both matters of paramount importance. Such elections hove to be hold also in accordance with a timn bound programme,contemplated in the constitution and the Act. The proviso added in s.22(2)of tho Act of 1950 is intended to extend cover to the electoral rolls in eventualities which otherwise might hnvo interfered with the smooth working of the programme. These arc the reasons for which we came to tho conclusion that the electoral roll of 1979 had not been vitiated and was not open to be attacked as invalid. Two other brief contentions may now be noticed. In Transferred Case No,364/84 there aas a prayer that thn electoral roils on the basis of which election from Assam aculd be held should be revised before the holding of such election as required by s.2i(2)(a) of tho Act of 1950, This meant an intensive revision. Counsel appearing for tho Election Commission made a statement before the Court to the following effect: "The Commission will carry out revision of the electoral roll for all constituencies in Assam in accordance with the Act and the Rules and such revision shall, as far as practicable be intensive revision and wherever it is not practicable to carry out intensive revision in any constituency or constituoncios, the revision, shall bo summary or special revision," - 53 - Ua indicated in our order, of September 28,1904,. that . the statement made on behalf of the Election Commission must alla^j the apprehension of a l l the petitioners in the case since i t made i t clear that before elections arc held in Assam, there uould be revision of the electoral r o l l s in the manner indicated in the s t a t e ment. Considerable argument .was advanced with reference to the electoral cs*d» As i t appears the Election Commission had introduced a form different from the one prescribed in Form 4 read with rule 8 of the Electors Registration Rules. Hore again, a statement was made on behalf of the Commission to the fallowing effect: "For the sake of greater c l a r i t y and keeping in view the provision of s.2(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 , and Form-4 of tho Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the word*citizen* shall be substituted for the word*elector* wherever i t occurs in ifre electoral card by issuance of a direction by the Election Commission." Uith the adoption of the bnsis indicated in the s t a t e ment, the objection on that score must bo tnkon to have vanished. Considerable nrgumont had also been advanced regarding tht; carrying out of revision of electoral rolls. Petitioners wanted that tho Election Commissinn should do so suo~ motp while the Election Commission plon'lod i t s inability keeping in view the ambit and - 54 stupendous proportion of the tnsk and pleaded that claim or objection should bo the foundation of the revision. Deoiip.q uith this question, after hearing counsel at great io-n^tyh U G had stated: "The only direction which uo can give to the Election Commission is to carry -out revision of the electoral rolls- in accordance uith the procedure prescribed in the Representation of People Acti195Q and the Electors Registration Rulos,1960. But since the Election Commission has stated before us that it will carry out revision of the electoral rolls and that such revision shall, as far as practicable, be intensive revision and uhero it is not so practicable, it uill be summary or special, ue do not think it necessary to give any further direction to the Election Coin ission. When the draft electoral- rolls are ready as a result of such revision carried out by the El ction Commission, it uill be ooen to- anyone whose name is not included in the draft electoral rolls to lodge a claim for inclusion of hi3 name on the ground that he is an eligible .olactor and if the name of any oerson is found included in the draft electoral rolls even though ho is not a citizen, it uill be equally open to anyone entitled to object to challenge the inclusion of the name of such person in1 the draft electoral rolls by filing an objection in accordance uith the Electors Registration Rt'les, 1960. It is neither desirable nor proper for us to lay doun as to u/hat quantum of proof should be required for the purnose of substantiating any such claims or objections lodged before the - 55 ~ Exaction Commission. It would bo for the appropriate d o c t o r a l officer to consider and decide in the light of such material as may bo pro !ucod before him by the objector as n i s i by tho -jcrs^n whose nams is sought to bo •deleted from- tho olontcral r o l l s ond such further material os may l,o available to him including-the electoral r o l l s if the ear liar years, whether such par son is n citizen or not.- UG may point out that tho appropriate electoral officer may also on his nun, if ho has on thr:- material available to him including tho electoral r o l l s of tho oar l i a r years, reason to entertain any doubt, take steps to sstisfy himself in regard to tho citizenship of a person whose name is sought to bo included or has been included in tho a In ct oral r o l l s . lib t''Mo nntn of the position and with a sense of satisfaction that with the accord reached about Assam* tho a:\iitoticn seems to have ended. The Election Commission is at work and in compliance with the provisions of tho Act end the Rules, the electoral r o l l s arc being revised. Ua hope and t r u s t that elections which are indispensable to tho democratic process would bo held in accordance with law as expediently as possible and nn the basis of a revised electoral r o l l in terms nf the statement made to the Court by the Election Commission1, New D e l h i , September 3 0 , 1 9 0 5 . CD. , * 3. (Amrendra Nath Sen) 0. (U.Balakrishnan Eradi) {Raiignath flishra) ' ?U * ° iU. - 56 - CH.iPTER - III CriSES OF DISLJUHLIFICATIONS During the month of December, 1905, no person uas disqualified under section 1 OA of the Representation of tha People net, 1951 for his failure to lodge his accounts of election expanses as required under section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 uithin tho time and/or in the manner required by law. However, in exercise of the powers conferred on the Commission under section 1uA of the Representation of the r'eople net, 1951, section 22 of the General Clauses Act, 1C97 and all other powers enabling it in that behalf, tha Commission vide its order dated 3 .1 2 . 05/revoked retrospectively its order dated j 7.10.1903 by uhich it had disqualified Shri Najegouda, S/c Piarisiddaiah, Sagaranahalli, Gubbi Taluk, (karnataka.) •• • * • » • - 57 CHAPTER - IV DISPOSAL OF ELECTION PETITIONS During the month of December, 1905, the Commission received intimation about disposal of 23 election petitions. Intimation regarding disposal of one appeal in election matter was received from the Supreme Court of India. Details jf election petitions filed, disposed of and pending in the High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court following (a) General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies held in 1977-79, (b) General Election to House of the People halo in 1900, (c) General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies, 1960, (d) General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies, 1902( e) General Election to the Legislative Assemblies, 19C3, (f) General Elections tc the House of the pPeople, 1904, (g) General Elections to Legislative Assemblies, 1904 and (h) General Elections to the Legislative Asssmblies, 1905 are furnished in tho eight statements (i to U111) annexed. As on 31.12.1905, 400 Election petitions and 39 appeals were pending in different High Courts and Supreme Court respectively, M statement (No. XI) showing the period for which these election petitions in different High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court are panding in also annexed. STATEMENT - I GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES, 1977 to 1979. Numbers of election petitions filed, disposed of, pending in the High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court. S~. No. Name"*"oT "State" Union Territory. 1" (As on 31.12.1985). "Elec"tTo"n "Pe t i ITio" ns* in~~the" 'Hiq C"our1T« A"pp'eaTs'""in the •'Su'pr.'a'm'e DoJurT. Uisposed of Pending Filed Disposed or ending iiled Upto the. During Total Upto tha Durxng Total end of the " end of tho last month month* last month month. 21 A ndhra Pradesh(1978) Assam f i 9 7 6 ) 9 3 . Bihar ., 977) ., 31 4 . Haryana (1977) 7 5 . Himachal Pradesh(1977) 5 6. Gammu & Kashmir(1977) 19 7 . Karnataka(!978) 74 Kerala(lg77) 19 a. P'ladhya Pradesh(i 977) 28 9. 13 10. Maharashtra(1978) risghalaya(i978) 1 11. l\lagaland(i970) 9 12. Orissa (1977) 6 13. 16 14. Funjab(i977) R a j a s t h a n (1377) 18 15. 2 16. S i k k i m (1979) T a m i l Nadu(1977) 8 17. U t t a r Pradesh(1977) 18. 37 19. U e s t Bengal (1377) 1 1. 2. . ^ 21 9 31 7 5 19 74 19 28 13 1 9 6 16 13 2 8 37 1 _ __ ^ 21 9 31 7 5 19 74 19 28 13 1 9 6 16 18 2 8 37 1 •• •• 6 3 6 2 _ 4 4 6 6 2 _ 1 1 10 4 ™ 5 9 _ „ _ _ . , 6 3 6 1 _ 4 4 6 5 2 _ 1 1 10 4 _ 5 7 . ^ 3 6 1 4 4 6 6 2 1 1 10 4 5 7 "1TJ ~1T UNION TERRITORIES: 1. D e lhi(19?7) 4 4 Hii:oram(1979) 1 2 1 2 1 2 Pondicherry (1977) 2 2 2 2. Goa Daman & O i u 3. 4. TOTAL: 333 333 333 333 - 333 333 1 2 1 2 - - - •Mi 72 72 69 69 - 69 17 GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE LQK 5ABHA, 1980. Number of election petitions filed, disposed of, pending in the High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court, (As on 31.12.1985). S'.'Na. Name of State"/™ ElecTi~n""P~tTtTo7is i l l "the T[i'a~h""Cour't. Tip'pea'ls in~tKe~Su~p~anie*"~C~ur'tT Union Fjlad Disposed of Pending Filed Disposed of ; Pending Territory. Upto the" During Total Uptc~the During Total end of the _ ' end of the l a s t month.month l a s t month Month _1 ; __2_ „ „ „ _3_ I „ £ I __ I 15" Z I I6- I I7I I I Z I I ! I I _ Dl „ I lU I I J2". 1 . Andhra Pradesh 2. Bihar 3. Gujarat 4 . Himachal Pradesh 5. Haryana 6. Jammu and Kashmir 7. Karnntaka 8. Karala 9. r-iadhya Pradesh 10. Maharashtra 11. Orissa 12. Rajasthan 13. Tamil Nadu 14. Tripura 15. U t t a r Pradesh 16. West Bengal UNION TERRITORIES; 1 . A r u n a c h a l Pradesh 2. Delhi " 3. Qadra & l\|.- H a v e l i TOTAL: 1 1 14 11 22 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 44 6 5 1 1 2 1 1 1 22 14 13 22 1 22 1 59 1 -. . ~ - 1 2 1 - 52 1 52 1 11 3 3 1 2 1 1 1 _ _ 1 _ _ 1 1 . « 1 - 1 1 1 1 4 ^ 2 2 5 1 „ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 13 1 3 2 2 — 7 1 14 1 : _ _ _ . « 1 1 _ _ 1 „ 2 - _ i 1 2 _ - - . 10 - - _ _ - j 10 2 . _ _ - I -j _ 1 _ 4~ "" GENERAL ELECTIONS TO' LEGISLATIVE'ASSEMBLIES. 1980. Number of election petitions filed, disposed ofy pending in thg High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court. (As on 31.12.1985). S"."NO"Z __ Na"ni"e "of~S'Fa"Fe Unicn Territory. _ j T _ _ _2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. ~ Bihar Gujarat Kerala Fladhya p r a d a s h pianipur (Maharashtra Drissa Punjab Rajasthan T a m i l Nadu Uttar nrsdesh Arunachal Pradesh Goa, Daman & Diu 14. Pondicherry TOTAL! Eiec'ti'o'n" "pet'it'io'ns" Tn~th"e""HTqh" "Court's. ~"HppeaT3 i n "the" Supreme" C*'cu'r'tf Filed Disposed o f pending Filed ~ Disposed of Pending Upto the During Total Upto the During Total end of the and of the l a s t month month l a s t month month 1 3_ „ I ^ _ I _ ~5~ ™ ~ ~6~ I I I 1 _ I I I _ Z H _ I I I I Z I ! I ~ ~2~ " 33 5 8 8 23 44 1 5 44 42 20 17 29 1 2 2 . 211 1 27 4 - 23 -. - 1 6 41 17 17 27 1 - 1 192 - 27 4 8 23 4 16 4 41 17 1 27 1 2 12 1 3 - 7 _ 1 3 2 - 3 1 2 5 * 1 _ 9 9 5 1 1 2 5 1 2 _ 11 1 8 1 1 - - ] _ - - - - - 192 19 45 37 _ 9 . 9 5 . - 1 - 3 1 2 5 -j \ 1 . _ . . 37 _ -j _ 2 2 3 _ . _ I ~*i- Jim GENERAL ELECTIONS TO LEGISLATIUE ASSEMBLIES, 19B2. Number of election petitions filed, disposed ofy pending in the High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court* (As on 31.12.1985). 3. No. "Name oT Utate/"" Union Territory. T Election1 Petitions Tn"*~the High CourtT. Filed Disposed of Pending Upto the During Total " end of the ' last month month _^ 1. Himachal 2. Pradesh " 5 "" ~ ~6 12 "" V ~ "~ ~ ~1"O ~ T1" " T2 3 3 2 - 17 15 15 2 14 1 4 4 4 1 2 H'.iryana 27 27 27 3. Kar a 1 a 15 U 4. liest 5. Nnoaland TOTML: ""8 b 12 Bengal ""7 Appeals in""ths Supreme CourtT ~ Filed" Disposed of Pending Upto the ""'"bur ing Total end of the last month* month. -. 8 7 7 1 - - 4 3 3 1 2 1 66 63 63 28 23 23 I r\ | CI'ICIM I "• U GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES, 1983. Number of election petitions filed, disposed of, pending in the High Courts and appeals in the Supremo Court* (as on 31.12.1=185). 5."NV;. T Name o7 State/ ETac"tion PatTi tiers' Tn the High" "CotFrt. Appeals in The oupr'crne Cour't. Union Filed_ Disposed of Pending' Filed Disposed of ^ Ponding Territory. Upto the. During Total Upto' tha Durino TJl " snd of the end of thelast month month "8 ~ ~ ~"W ~~ 12 "1T 1. .-indhra Pr a d e s h 39 34 - 34 5 5 3 1 4 2 3. Jammu and Kashmir 75 14 1 15 61 4, K arnataka 22 21 21 1 5. Raghalaya 5 5 - 5 6. Tripura 4 2 - 2 14 8 6 14 166 87 2'. i-\ s s a rn 7. Oalhi TOTAL: 95 11 1 2 71 11 STATEMENT - VI GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE' HOUSE OF THE PEOPLE, 1984-85. Number of e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s f i l e d , disposed of, pendinq i n High Courts and appeals in the Supreme Court. the (As on 31 . 1 2 . 1 9 8 5 . ) ' S . No. Name of S t a t e s / E l e c t i o n P e t i t i o n s in the Hiq*h Co'uFt. AppeTaTg ini The Suprem" Union Filed Disposed o? . Pending Filed Disposed of""""" Pending Territory, Upto the During ToT^T Upto date During Total end of the end of the l a s t month month — _ ™.l^.si. JD°Htii month, T 3 1 "" 5 "5T 7" "" 8 9 "" TO "" 1• 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. b, 9. 10. 11 . 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Andhra Pradesh Bihar Gujarat Haryana Jammu & Kasbmir Karnataka Ktirala Madhya pPradesh Maharashtra Orissa Punjab Uttnr Pradesh West Bengal Lakshadueep Qadra & N. Haueli Delhi TOTAL — _ 1 1 _ 1 1 1 — 7 5 5 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 15 6 1 1 4 52 1 1 14 14 5 5 1 1 2 1 — 1 1 1 2 8 6 1 _ 3 35 2 1 STATEMENT - V I I GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. 19B4. Number o f e l e c t i o n p e t i t i o n s f i l e d , disposed o f , pending i n the High Court and appeals i n the Suprern8 C o u r t / (As on 31.12.1385). S'.N'oT TJanWoT STtate" *~E"Ie~tTon FeTit'i'c'ns' Tn""tKe""HTr)'h 'Cc-'urt'.*" TTpg'a'i'Ls Tn""tlTo~3upre'me'~C'o"uT't7 Union Filed •Ji'spbsBd of pending Filad Disposed o f Pending Territory. Upto the During Total Upto the During T o t a l ' end of the end of the _ last month* month l a s t month month I1™ I. _ 11111 _ I l l - i Z I I I I51111117I I I I I 8 II «911111S 111C I .J2~_ 1 . Tamil Nadu 5 - - 2 . Manipur 4 - - 3. Arunachal Pr-adash 1 4« Go a , On man & Jiu 5. Mizoram TCTHL: ' 1 q 12 - 1 4 - - . - - - _ 4 - I _ ^ [ 11 - 1 _ . — _ _ -. - . „ « . « . _ _ _ _ STATEMENT - VIII GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES, 1385. Number of election petitions filed, disposed of, pending in the High Courts and appeals in t^s Supreme Court. (As on 31.12.1985) S~.NcT N"a?nQ~oT S"t~t'e/~ETec'tTo'n Union Filed Jisposed o f Territory. Upto th Juring Total and of the la_st ("ouri".~H'p*p'eaTs""in' t~h~ S'u'prj'me' C"ou"r 1:,"" Disposed o f ' ""Pending Pending Filed Upto the During Total end of the 10 7 1. Mndhra Pradesh 2. Bihar 3. Gujarat 4. Himachal Pradesh 5 * Karnataka 6. Maharashtra •7 I f'bcihya Pradesh Orissa 9. Punjab 10. Rajasthan 11. Sikkim 12. U t t a r Pradesh 13. Hondicherry TOTA 17 45 9 12 25 26 54 8 12 24 2 74 1 41 4 13 0 2 ~ 2 5 - 310 36 Ti 12 15 44 9 6 26 6 5 T 15 19 13 2 7 41 6 12 24 2 7 57 1 1 51 25 9 4 4 - 67 STATEMENT - IX Statement show inQ periods for iJhich election Petitions in the Hiqh Courts and ap peals in the Supreme Court are pend inq . £: (As en •7-1 n o iqM i^ Name of State/ Lea s than Between Between Between Over Union Territory. 1-2Years. 2-3Years. 3-4 Years.4 Years a year. SC HC SC HC SC HC HC SC SC SC Andhra Pradesh Assam Bihar Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Oammqi & Kashmir Karnataka Kera la Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Nagaland Orissa Punjab Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Tripura Ufctar Pradesh Uest Bengal Arunachal Pradesh Delhi Lakshadwaep Mizoram Goa,Daman & Diu Pondicherry [Jadra & |\|, Haveli TOTAL: 21 _ 49 10 1 6 2 27 » 42 Q 4 — 7 14 24 _ 4 — 75 6 1 3 1 4 — _ 1 — — 2 _ _ 2 <— _ — _ _ _ _ 3 — _ _ _ _ _, _ 2 _ 2 — — _ _ 2 _ — _ — — 1 61 1 — _ — 1 _ _ • — — — l — — — — „ 1 — — 2 — — — .» _ — — — — _ - M «.* 1 — - •_ 1 1 ~ _ _ 1 - _ - 307 10 1 16 ~ •_ — — _ — _ 1 — 1 _ — 1 — "" ~ *. 4 — — — 3 — 1 5 — 2 _ — — — _ - _ 2 1 25 MM — — - 73 1 ~ - 2 „ _ 15 1 _ _ 1. 1 _ —. _ — 1 _ 2 — _ — — _ 5 2 — 6 — 58 «• CHAPTER - V VACANCY STATEMENT At the end of December, 1905, there was no vacancy in the House of the People ana obly one vacancy in the Council of States. In the Legislative Assemblies of various States, there existed 13 vacancies whereas in the Legislative Councils of various States, there ware 134 vacancies* A statement showing details of vacancies is given in the following pages. - 69 - ABSTRACT - I T o t a l number o f s e a t s i n C o u n c i l o f and L e g i s l a t i v e C o u n c i l s and v a c a n c i e s . ( As on 3 1 . 1 2 . 1 9 8 5 ) . S".l\)o7 TJa"fne""oT s"t~t~/~ "o'un'ciT "o f~S'taTes reg'is'la'tTvls "coiTnc'iT - Union Total Vacant Total Uacant Territory. C R C R _1 1. 2* 3* 4* 5. 6. 7« 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. I.lI_IIII Z3l I I I I I5 Andhra Pradesh Assam Bihar Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Karnataka Kerala 18 7 22 11 5 3 4 12 9 Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Nagaland Orissa Punjab Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Tripura 16 19 1 1 1 10 7 10 1 18 1 2 1 . U t t a r Pradesh 22. West Bengal UNION TERRITORIES; 1 . Andaman & N. I s l a n d s 2 . A r u n a c h a l Pradesh 3 . Chandigarh 4 . Dadra & M. H a v e l i 5. Delhi 6. Goa,Daman & Diu 7 . Lakshadueep 8 . Mizoram 1 — - — - I 96 ~ 36 63 II 8 - 34 — — 8 21 •*> — 1 - I - 34 16 1 3 — ~ 1 - 5 - ~ -. - 78 1 - 8 , - ^ - 63 - 1 -. 21 108 - 39 - - - _ - - ~ — — ~ «. - — ~ — TOTAL; 232 1 444* 3 131** C - Casual uaca'nc'i'e'sT ~" " " " " " " " " — . — - . — -. — -. — — — R = Vacancies due t o r e t i r e m e n t . NB. D e t a i l s o f vacancies are shown i n the an*losed atayement. * T o t a l seats i n c l u d e s members nominated by Governor concernoo i # e . 1 2 each f o r B i h a r , Fladhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and U t t a r Pradesh and 9 each for T a m i l Nadu and K a r n a t a k a . ** This does not include vacancies arising out of members nominated by G o v e r n o r . ABSTRACT - II T o t a l number o f seats i n the House o f the People and S t a t e L e g i s l a t i v e Assemblies and v a c a n c i e s . 7Janie~"oT S'ta't~/~H'o'us"e'""oT Union Total Vacant 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13, 14. 15. 15. 17. 10. 19. 20. 21. 22. Mndhra Pradesh Assam Bihar Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Uammu & Kashmir Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Nagaland Orissa Punjab Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uest Bengal UNION TERRITORIES: 1. Andaman & N,Islands 2. 3. Arunachal Pradesh 4. Chandigarh 5. Dadra & |\l. Haueli 6. Delhi 7. Lakshaduesp 0. Goa,Daman & Diu Mizoram TOTAL: 42 14 54 26 10 4 6 28 20 40 48 2 2 1 21 13 25 1 39 2 85 42 5 2 94 6 126 324 102 90 2 _ 2 — 60 76* 224 140 320 208 60 60 60 1 _ 147 117 — 200 32 234 60 1 1 2 2 425 2 94 1 2 1 -] 7 1 2 1 542 (As on 31.12.1985) "' Tec[i's'la'tTv~ ~s's~B'm'bTy~ Total Vacant 30 56k — 30 30 - 3997 12 ^ Excluding 24 seats ear~ma~k~d~foY~P'akTs'ta"n 'occ"u'pi~d""Te'rFitoFy, @ Metropolitan Council Constituencies. NB: Details of vacancies are shauQ in statement enclosed. . n o n n i o j . i_u ••••••• "Name o f State No. o f seats vacant. j . IV r n l \ L. X H IIC. IM I HNU O I H 1 L L t U 1 5 L M I U K E.S « . (As on 3 1 . 1 2 . 1 9 8 5 ) . No. and Name o f constituency. Cause o f vacancy. Date o f vacancy. Date o f Poll* Remarks - 7- COUNCIL OF STATES 1. Gujarat By members Regn. 25.11.05 24.1.06 HOUSE OF THE PEOPLE Nil > Contd.... LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS 1. Bihar 34 Patna L.A. Nalanda L.A* Gaya L.A. Aurangabad L.A. Nauada L.A. Bhojpur L.A. Rohtas L.A. Saran L.A. Siuan L.A. Gopal Ganj L.A. East Cha.mparan L.A. Uast Champaran L»A. Pluzaffarpur L.A. Uaishali. L.A. Sitamarhi L.A. Oarbhanga L.A1 * . Madhubani L.A. Samaatipur L.A. Honghyr L.A. Bequsarai-cumfChagaria L#A. Bhagalpur L.A. Purhea L«A. Katihar L.A. Santhal"Parganas L.A. (2 seats) Hazaribagh L.A. Girid'ih L.A. Kanchi L.A«(2 seats) Palamau L.A. Ohanbad L.A. Singhphum L«A, (2 seats) Hadhepura L,Am Retired 11 members retired on 6,5,70, 11 membars retired on 31.5.G0 and 13 members retired on 6.5.62. Information regarding constitution of local bcdies(fv1embGrs of which constitute the electorate of local authorities constituencies),is awaited from th& Chief Electoral Officer. _ 1_ . 2 . Jammu & Kashmir 3. Karnataka Retired 5.9.84 Dammu Province (4 seats) Retired 11.9.84 Kashmir Province (3 seats) Retired 11.9.b4 By FiLAs Tahsii Kargil (1 seats) 21 Bidar L,A. Gulbarga L.A. Bijapur L.A. Belgaum L,A« (2 seats) Uttara Kannada L.A. Dharuad L.A. (2 seats) Haichur L.A. Biliary L,A. Chitradurga L.A. Shimoga L.A. OakshinaKannada L.A. Chickmacalur L.A. Hassan L»/-i. Tumkur L.A. Handya L.A. ' Bane 3 lord L.A. Kolar L.A. Kadagu L.A. Mysore L.A, Retired 7 members retired on 1 .7.7C, 7 members retired on 14.5.00 and 7 members retired on 11.6.32. Certain local bodies yet to be constituted< — "I ""* ~" "7 4. Maharashtra 8 3 • * - * mam « * mm S" M Retired 7.7.82 Retired 27.6.84 Madras L.A, Retired 21.4.74 Chengalapattu Retired 21.4.76 North ;:ircot L.A. Retired (2 seats) South Artec L.A. (2 seats) TirunchirapallyHudukkottai L»A. (2 seats) Kanyakumari L.A. 21.4.78 Nasik L.A. Pune L.A. Os ma na bad-c urnLa tur-cum—Seed I Aurangabad L.A. Parbhani L.A. Raigad-cumSinghdurg-cum; R a t n a g i r i L.A. Duo to non-existance of local bodies biennial elections can't be held. -d-o- Satara L.A. Amrauati L.A. S. Tamil Nadu 21 •rta Rec°nstitution of the Madras Corpor.ation(tha members,of which constitute the electorate) is auaitad, Raconstitution of local bodies awaited. CoimbatoreNilgiris L.A. (2 seats) ' Ma durai L.A. (2 seats) Tirunaveli L.;s» (2 seats) • Uu" Tamil Nadu(Contd.) 6. Uttar Pradesh Thanjavur L.A. Retired (2 seats) 5aiem~0harampuri L.A.(2 seats) Ramanathapuram L.A.(2 seats) Tehri Garhual L.A. Retired Garhual L.A. Kumaon L,A« Maradabad-Bijnar L.A. RafDpur Barailley L.A. Badaun L.A. PilibhitShahJQhanpur L.A. Hardoi L.A.. Kheri L.A. Sitapur L.A. Lucknou-UnnaoL.M. Rao B a r e l i L.A. Pratapgafh L.A. Sultanpur L,A. Bara Banki L.A. Bahraich L.A. Gonda L.«» Faizabad L,a, Basti L.A. Gcrakhpur L.A. Decria L.A. Azamgarh L.A. Ballia L.A. Ghazipur L.A. 21.4.80 Reconstitution of -local bodies awaited. 26 members — retired on 5.5.80 and 13 members retired on 5.5,82. of local bodies awaited. 1 2 Oaunpur L.A« V/aranasi L.A. MirZapur L.A. Allahabad L.A. Banda-Hamirpur L.A. ' Jhansi-3alaunL a l i t p u r L,A. KanpurFatehpur L.A. EtauahFarrukhabad L . / i . Agra PL.A. Wathura-Etaua Mainpuri L.A. (2 s a a t s ) A l i g a r h L.A. Bulandshahr L. A. fteerutGhaziabad L.A. fluza f f a r n a g a r Saharanpur L . H . Retired 26 rriGmbars r e t i r e d on 5.5.80 and 13 members r a t i r a d on 5.5.82. 1 . 3ammu '^nd Kashmir By Kashmir panchayat Rt?gn» 11.6.83 2. By PILAs D G ath Uttar PradQsh(Contd.) R e c o n s t i t u t i o n of Local bodies awaited, CASUnL VACANCIES; Maharashtra Ramanathapuram Taaohors • Constituency Panchayats i n Kashmir province have not been iionstitutod, 1 8.10.35 20.1.85 24.11.b5 3. T a m i l Nadu - - - 77 """" - T fl1 - - - E" I " " ~7"" ~ - - - LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES 1 . Assam 2b~Golakganj 9-Kaliabor Electicn countermanded on 29.11.85. H ec n • 30.12.35 20.9.35 9.9.85 2. Haryana 14-Jundla 63-Bhadra Hag n. 3 . J a m mu & K'as hrnir 4 0-Doda Declaration dated 10.4.03 of result was cancelled and repoll ordered in 16 polling stations vide Commission's c • r de r dated 22.6.03, The Commission's order dated 22.5.03, cancelling t h Q RD's declaration of result and direction of repoll in 16 polling stations was stayed by 3 & K High Court on 29.6.03 in urit petition No, 291/03. On appeal by the Commission, the Supreme Court vacated thQ High Court's stay order on 19.7.03 and directed the High Court to dispose of the urit petition oxpeditiously. The High Court decision in the writ petition is still awaited. - 78 - "*1~" — — — — — -*2"" •-—•-"—• " " 3 ~ -~ -~ -"• — —.—•— ^—.—. — — — - j — — — — — — •^ — ~—. 4 . Karnataka 2 115-Chamaraja 53-Kallambella Death Regn. 14.11.85 18.12.05 5 . Kerala 1 111-Ranni Death 22.3.05 5 . Maharashtra 2 271-5angli 263-3aoli Reqn. Dsath 19.11.05 20.11.05 - 7. Pondicherry 1 13-Bahour Death 21.12.05 - - 23.1.06 Tripura 1 29-Taliamura Daath 7.12.05 - Uttar Fradash 1 16-Kashipur R. 9n . 1.12.05 - - 79 - CHAPTER I/I Commission^ views and Press statements on c e r t a i n aspects of a l s c t i o n s During December tt35, the Commission's press statements regarding appointment for the. e l e c t i o n s , to Assam to review elections, possible visit of deputy of views/ observers E l e c t i o n Commissioner the arrangements made for the ftssam DEC's assurance to take steps to stop any misuse of o f f i c i a l arrangements made for machinery, Assam e l e c t i o n s completion of e l e c t i o n s security and s a t i s f a c t o r y appeared i n the press. The Commission's views about the e l e c t o r a l reforms also appeared i n the The r e l e v a n t i n the following press. press c l i p p i n g s pages. are reproduced 14 l^CRE ELECTION OBSERVERS FuR ASSAM APPOINTED After complaints that tension was building up in Assam, the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr ,R.K.Trivedi, today appointed 14 more observers in the State to ensure smooth .polling to the Assam Assembly and for 14 Lok Sabha seats from the State on December,16« Ten Central and 14 State observers were appointed by the Election Commission sarlier, had Tho complainants / said that workers of one party were tearing away /fchg postars and banners of the other parties. Such complaints uere becoming common from all parties, according to reports received, Mr.Trivedi said, it was more or less a common feature in some places* He has sent the Deputy Election Commissioner , Mr.V.Ramafcrishnan, to Assam to asses3the situation. He would remain there a fe-a more days to keep a close watch.t Pir, Trivedi has asked his deputy to appeal to the political pajeties when he me&ts their representatives not to indulge in practices which cause unnecessary avoidable tension. They should adhere to clean i3lectioneering * Except for a couple of cases of beating up of workers of some parties, the situation is reported to be well under control, "Tempers are sometimes aroused, particularly in areas, where the contest is n^ck and n e c k % the Chief Election Commissioner said* - 81 He was satisfied with the deployment of Central and State police forces in Assam and hoped that they "will b e able to maintain perfect order before, during and after the elections", Pir.Trivedi expected to "leave an absolutely clean slate" with the completion of the Assam elections, as no major elections are It will be my suan/normally due for another two years", he added. Asked about the possibility of snap elections in Kerala in uieu of indic-itiora that the State .Assembly might be dissolved, he said that depended on the exigencies of the situation* He would not leave any pending work for his successor whoss name has yet to be announced as ho would sign the annual report of the Election Commission on December 31 before he retires. STATESMAN NEW DELHI 12.12.1985. - b2 - DEPUTY CEC'S ASSURANCE TO AGP A delegation of the.Asom T«na parishad mat Sri \l,Ramakrishnan Deputy Election Commissioner today at Dispur to apprise him of the situation in Assam# The delegation impressed on Sri Ramakrishnan to effectively stop the manufacture*.transport and distribution of liquor throughout the State during the next feu days, till the election was aver. ShriRamakrishnan agreed to take up the matter with the State Government. Certain instances of misuse of Government and rolice machineries by the Congress(i), particularly in Nazira and Hcjai constituencies,were also brought to his notice. Sri Ramakrishnan assured the AG $ delegation that the Election Commission uculd tak e a very serious view of such activities and directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam to advise the State Government suitably. He also told the delegation that there should be no apprehensions about booth-capturing, rigging and similar evils as the Election Commission CEO, Assam and the State Government were vigilant. According to A G P -sources,the Ccngress(l) has been using the CRPF and other police forces to prevent movement of AGP supporters and vehicles from entering into the area covered by 13 tea gardens in Nazira constituency since Decan ber 10. Only Congress (l) vehicles are allowed into the tea garden areas for campaigning, the sources alleged. - G3 - The.AfP P r e s i d a n t - i n - C h i e f Mahanta, Chief requested Commissioner,Sri him t o the direct R.K.Trivedi State Government He has a l s o observers bribe Mahanta a l l e g e d voters, the that sources the and to for Regarding Congress(i) ASSAM TRIBUNE NEU DELHI 13,12.1985 of demanded exclusively said# Kumar attention and Nagaon Sadar C o n s t i t u e n c i e s . Nagaon,Sri to the Cancress(l). a p p o i n t ! s-nt of C e n t r a l Nazira Prafulla has i n a t e l e g r a m draun the Election restrain Sri uas trying ~ 84 ~ aSS/.f-i SECURITY STEPS IN STATE uF READINESS: EC The administrative and security arrangements for the Assam palls on 0ec»16 are in a full state of readiness Deputy Election Commissicner U» Ramakrishnnn paid tcday. • Mr•Ramakrishnan, who returned after a three— day visit to Assam to review the administrative arrangemsnts, expressed satisfaction at the overall situation. Security presence in vulnerable -areas in the State has been strengthened so that there is no scape for intimidation during or immediately after polling. The para-military units from the Border security Force,Central Reserve Police and the Central Industiral Security Force have taken position alongside the Assam Police to ensure peaceful and smooth conduct of polling* Mr.Ramakrishnan described campaigning in the State as "very enthusiastic and vigorous". He said there has not been any major incident.of violence during campaigning, which comes to a close at 3#30 p.m. tomorrow, The political parties and candidates have, however complained of tearing of posters, disturbance of meetings and the like. Mr.Ramakrishnan, who had meetings with representatives cf the various political parties, impressed upon them and the candidates to adhere to ths model of conduct circulated by the Election Commission, - {35 - He has also asked thd Chief Electoral Officer of. Assam to ensure that polling personnel at every centre was adequately mixed by drawing upon personnel from the Central Government who. have boen deputed for the job. The Commission has named 15 senior officers of. the State Government to assist the 17 observers appointed for as many districts. Asked about the Uanata Party complaint in respect of the by—election for Lok Sabha to be held at Banka in Bihar,Mr.Ramakrishnan said detailed instructions have bsen sent to the Bihar authorities to ensure smooth conduct of the elections, Janata party President Chandra Shekhar had in a Press statement yesterday expressed fears of blood- * shed and booth—capturing in Banka and sought intervention of the President and the Election Commission. THE HINDUSTAN TI NEU DELHI 14.12.1385 - 06 STEP TAKEN TU ENSURE URliERLY POLL; TRIVEuI The Chief Election Commissioner,. Mr ,R.K .Trivedi has "uarned" that any attempt at violence and boothcapturing during polling in Assam and else where will bo dealt uith sternly, reported UNI. In. an appeal to the jloctorata on Saturday, he said administrative arrangements had been mads for preventing violence "of any kind and nc intimidation of the voters will be permitted.w The Commission has received several complaints from certain parties that they apprehend these kinds of trouble on the polling day. Barring "stray incedants" of violence, the poll campaign had been peaceful, Flr.Trivedi added. Meanwhile, five observers have been appointed by the Election Commission to ensure peaceful and orderly poll for the Parliamentary and Assembly by—elections in three States* The Commission Secretary, Mr.C. L.Rosa,; told reporters in New Delhi that two observers had been appointed for the Bolpur parliamentary by-elections and the Nanur(SC) Assembly by-election which is under the parliamentary constituency in Uest Bengal. Besides this, one observer had also been appointed for the Aurangabad Assembly by—lesctiun in the State, - 07 One observer each has been appointed for the two Assembly by-elsctions in Punjab and in Cheyyarin Tamil Nadu* All the appointees are State Government officials and u/iil remain posted until the completion of the election procedures. Thy Election Commission has asked the Chief Secretary to the Assam Government to report on the alleged transfers of some officers after the announcement of holding of general elections in the State. He has also been asked to inquire whether there was delay on the part of an officer to release his junior colleague drafted for election duty and whether action was being taken against the latter for joining poll duty late Mr.Rose said. The Bihar Government has been asked to strictly follow the special guidelines of the Commission for peaceful holding of the by-elections he added. The bluster of three weeks of hectic electioneering ended in Assam or; Saturday and party workers fanned out on door-to—door campaigning. In a field of 12 parties for the first time since the 1^78 polls in the State are all the seven national parties~the Congress(I),Janata Party, Congress(9) Lok Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party,Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India(Marxist). - 81; Also.contesting the elections are two newly-formed regional parties-the A3om Gana Parishad, posing the main challenge, to ths Con^raas(i) bid for a second consecutive term, and the rival United Minorities Front. The Ccngress(l) is contesting all the 125 Assembly seats the AGP 109 and the UPlF 55. ... As the campaign ended at 3,30 p.m. canvassers for the record number of 1,234 candidates took off the streets the fleets of vehicles used since November 22 to woo an estimated 9,00 million voters spread over the 17 districts. The State Government has deployod. more than.rJ2j700 security personnel in the State and kept tho ftrmy in readiness to meet any eventuality, polling personnel continued to move out to the 13,705, polling booths. Five polling personnal headed by a presiding officer have been deployed in aach booth and all were expected to reach their stations by Sunday according to the Assistant Chief Electoral Officer, Mr.FI.R.Das, PTI adds:Mr.Rajiv GandhH on Saturday expressed sethe confidence that his party would get majority in the Assam elections* The Prime Minister, who returned to Guwahati airport after addressing his last election meeting at Mangaldoi was asked by reporters about the Congress(l)1s poll prospects. I am confident of my party getting a majority" he answered while boarding the plane to leave for Delhi. - 89 - Mr.Gandhi who wound up h i s w h i r l w i n d poll campaign s h o r t l y before descended on Assam t h i s to vote without fear, vote would decide Congress(l) the 40 hour afternoon, bearing the future four pra-poll lull asked the people i n mind t h a t o f Assam. would mean s t a b i l i t y , day their llote for the peace and p r o g r e s s . SUNDAY STATESMAN Delhi 15.12.1985 - 9D POLL CHIEF SATISFIED Chief Election Commissioner R.K.Triv/edi today expressed satisfaction over the"by anJ large peaceful11 polling in Assam* He said tonight.that fearring some minor incidents, the polling passed off peacefully.In fiye districts of the State there was 70 to 75 per cent of polling In the remaining districts, it was as high as between 55 and 65, he added* Ueputy Electicn Commissioner l/,Ramakrishnan said there wore some minor clashes at the Silchar constituency of Caesar district. There were reports of snatching away of ballot papers. being ascertained. The facts were If.necessary, there might °e repoll there, he. added, Mr.Ramakrishnan said the overall percentage of polling in the State was 65 per cent. Details were awaited. In West Bengal, there was 55 per cent polling* Reports from Tamil Nadu, where an Assembly by-election was held, was awaited, he said. In other parliamentary and Assembly by~election, thare was moderate polling, he added, HINDUSTAN TINES NEU DELHI 17.12,1985 1s TaTE SHOULD FUND SOME POLL EXPENSES * Tncj Chief Election Commissioner, Mr.R.K.Trivedl said hare today that he was in favour of-'partial state funding of election expenses. Tho limited state funding should not be in cash but in kind, through free supply., of electoral rolls, provision of stationery for identity slips, subsidised broadcast/telecast over ufficial media,Mr,Trivedi said in an interview. He said all out efforts should be made to reduce the expenditure on elections, he would spell out details of his proposals at the two—day conference of chief electoral officers here on December,20 and 30. GREAT RELIEF! Commenting on the Assam elections Mr.Trivedi said there was so much pressure and counter pressure and "striking a balance" between the conflicting claims was a tremendous job. "But the commission has accomplished tha task with the cooperation of all and were able by and large not only to prepare fairly accurate rolls in terms of the accord but also to have peaceful elections." He said that despite apprehensions expressed in several quarters about the emergence of dissatisfied elements^ "it is both a great relief and a matter of immense satisfaction for us to see the commitment of the people to the democratic process*11 Secondly, it helped to resolve a national issue h had become the bone of contention during the - 92 last six years. It also brought the state of Assam into the mainstream by providing representation in Parliament after a gap of almost six years. ASSAM POLLS:Mr. Trivedi said the Assam elections had also upheld the "dignity and autonomy of Election Commission. 1 am very much satisfied today that our people cannot b e fooled. They have their oun mind and they have proved beypnd doubt that they will not permit anything to denigrade the democratic system,"he said. Replying to questions,Mr,Trivedi, said he has suggested to the government suitable legal amendments to make certain non—cognizable electoral offences as congnizable offences to curb muscle power. Besides there should be provision for fresh poll in case of destruction of ballot papers and malpractices, intimidation ct im, ersonation. As far as the Assam elections were concerned he said there were no complaints of booth capturing or intimidation of voters. TIMES OF INDIA NEU DELHI 24,12,05. - 93 CHAPTER - VII REUISION OF ELECTORAL ROLLS IN ASSAM., In pursuance of the assurance given to the Supreme Court in September, 1904 during the hearing of the writ petitions challenging the validity of 1983 elections, the Commission decided to undertake intensive revision of electoral rolls in Assam, The Chief Electoral Officer was directed to qear up the electoral machinery before embarking on the actual revision. To put the eligibility for enrolment beyond any doubt, he was asked to prepare a list of persons from the 1979 rolls whose names appear in the 1971 rolls or who can trace their lineage to persons entered in the 1971 rolls. In addition to the one Electoral Registration Officer for each constituency .about 3000 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers uere also appointed. At the rate of one enumerator for a village or uard in a town area and one Supervisor to oversee the work 24,QUO enumerators of 4 enumerators, and/6LiG0 supervisors uere appointed. Before the actual house to house enumeration started, detailed guidelines to enumerators uere issued, Intensive training was also imparted to the supervisors and enumerators. The enumeration started on the 19th November, 1904. The electoral card had been revised - 94 substituting the uord 'Citizen1 for 'Elector' in pursuance of the undertaking given by the Commission to the Supreme Court. In case of refusal by the head of the household or the adult member to sign the electoral card, enumerators uera directed to make a note of such refusal on the card. Instead of the duplicate card, Form 4 "* uas to be handed over to the head of the family in such cases so that he may, if he so desired, apply to th e Electoral Registration Officer. There were cases of refusal to be enumerated by some persons in ths villages bordering Nagaland, Megha^aya and Arunachal Pradesh. In such cases, enumerators uere directed net to enrol these names and instead hand over Form 4 to such persons. The house t by 31.12.1904. house enumeration.work was completeJ The total number of persons enumerated uas 104.54 lakhs. The Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983 has taken a clear cognisance of the fact that a sizeable number of migrants had illegally entered India after 1971 and most of them stayed on in Assam. As such,the Commission considered that an entry in the 1971 rolls would prima facie establish the citizenship of such elector. Accordingly, the names of persons - 95 enumerated in 1984 were arranged in two lists. List I contained names of persons whose linkage with 1971 rolls could be established directly or through their lineage. List II contained names of all oth-er persons. It was found that List names and List II 39.72 lakh. 1 contained 64.82 lakh In other words, 62% could establish linkage with 1971 rolls. The entire List I was taken as part of the draft rolls for the constituency. Entries in List II w- re subjected to detailed spot verification by the Police, Revenue and Forest authorities on the basis of the two proformae prescribed by the Commission. Those proformae were mainly intended to elict information as to whether the person concerned was in India before 25th March, 1971 and whether any competent authority had declared him to be a non-citizen. The verification reports were processed by tne Electoral Registration Officers. If the Electoral Registration Officers decided that the person concerned was resident in India before 25th March, 1971 and was not declared a non-citizen his name was included in a supplement to List I. After completion of the verification and processing work, List I together with the supplements was published as draft rolls for the constituency. The first batch of rolls was published in draft in March, 19Q5 and the - 35 last in Duly, 1385. Initially a period of 25 days was allowed for filing claims and objections. This was extended from time to time on the recommendation of the Chief Electoral Officer. On representations received from All Agsam Students Union, All Asom GangSangram Parishad and others, the Commission decided to accept objections on plain paper provided that a separate application giving full details of the persons objected to and grounds of objection along with documentary proof is filed for each name objected to« This was intended to enable Electoral Registration Officer to exercise his suo moto powers to get over situations where in a particular part of the electoral roll, no person comes forward to file an objection which results in ineligible persons remaining includsd in that part of the rolls. The Electoral Registration Officers were asked to furnish data relating to the strength of draft rolls before publication. In case the strength was found to be abnormally hign compared to 1971 rolls, speciallyappointed additional Chiaf Electoral Officers were asked to review the verification reports so as to determine whether parsons, in whose cases verification reports are vague or ambiguous, have been included. In such cases, the Electoral Registration Officers were directed to delete such entries after following the proscribed procedure* - 97 As the verification of 39.72 lakh entries uas required to be dene in a short period, a large number of officers uere appointed to revieu the reports so as to eliminate chances of perfunctory or fraudulent uer i fication. When the rolls were published in draft, nearly 23,19 lakh claims and objections uere filed. For each claim or objection, the Electoral Registration Officer or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer uas to verify the records first and then give due notices to persons concerned fixing a place and date of hearing. After hearing, he uas tu make an order and prepare necessary supplement for addition or deletion of an entry. To cape with this huge ucrk, nearly 3000 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers uere appointed. Around the time the Assam accord uas signed, the electoral rolls of 62 constituencies uere finalised and finally published. On 15th August, 1985»an agreement uas signed betueen the Government of India and the leaders of All Assam StudentsUnion and All Asom Gana Sangram Parishad. By the memorandum of Agreement, the agitation on the foreign nationals issue continuing since 1979 uas happily brought to an end. - 93 - Keeping i n vie« the s p i r i t > of the agreement and ths statement made by the Home Minister in Parliament on 16th Auqust, 1985, the Commission agreed to give a further period of one month for filing claims and objections in respect of all thn 126 assembly constituencies in the State. Accordingly, in respect of 62 constituencies for which the electoral rolls had already been finally published, the Commission ordered special revision under section 21 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and ^accordingly, ordered their publication in draft on 27th August, 1905 and allowed time up to 27th September, 1985 for filing claims and objections. In respect of the remaining 64 constituencies, the Commission extended the period for filino claims and objections upto 27th September, 1905. Also keeping in vieu the statement made by the Home Minister in Parliament on 16th August, 1985, the Commission appointed 1u senior I.A.S. Officers of the rank of Joint Secretaries to the Government of India as observers in the State of Assam from 1st September, 1905 till the completion of revision of electoral rolls. In order to check the method of disposal of claims and objections by Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, about 70 Additional Chief Electoral Officers uho are senior officers of ths - 99 - State Government were also appointed. duties of work uf a J j i t i o n a l The nature of Chief Electoral Officers and the Central Observers uas broadly the same. Lu'hon the l a s t date for filing claims and objections uas over on 27th September, 8.14 1905, nearly lakhs of claims and 11.64 lakhs of objections were f i l e d . were filed A very large number of the objections on the l a s t date. The position r e l a t i n g objections to disposal of claims and is as follows: — 1. Total number of persons enumerated (as on 1.1.05) 2. 104.54 Lakhs Persons in L i s t - I . 64.02 Lakhs 3. Persons in L i s t - I I 39.72 Lakhs 4. Electors 5. Claims in draft rolls filed 95.03 Lakhs About) 10.00 Lakhs 6. Objections filed (including (H bout ) 1 3 . 00 Lakhs plain papers objections) 7. Claims accepted C. O b j e c t i o n s After 5.74 Lakhs accepted 2.92 Lakhs ordering special revision in respect of 62 constituencies and extending the period for filing claims and objections in respect of remaining 64 constituencies also upto27th September, 1985, the Commission issued consolidated guidelines to Electoral Officers. Registration - 100 Some of the important features as given in consolidated guidelines are as follows: 1. Only individual applications should b e accepted and applications cannot be filed in bunch by the same ind iv 2. The head of the family may submit claim applications of all members of his family, but at the time of hearing of each application, the head of the family cannot depose on behalf of other members of the family and each member, if required, should appear before the Electoral Registration Officer. 3. In case of objections not in Form 7 (referred to as 'plain paper objections' for convenience) where the suo moto powers of the Electoral Registration Officers are sought to be invoked, the objector should indicate the name and details of the persons objected to and also the grounds of such objection. Separate application should be presented in respect of each individual objected to. 4. Claims and objections with incomplete particulars should ba rejected. 5. If a claimant proves his linkage with an entry in 1971 electoral roll, it should be taken as a prima facie proof of eligibility subject to the condition that no adverse order of a court or tribunal . a had been passed against such/person about his citizenship or eligibility.- - 1 01 6. If a claimant produces evidence of his name being entered in a post-1 971 electoral roll, that also should not be taken as conclusive evidence of eligibility. In such case, details as to whereabouts, of the claimant during the period between 1st January, 1971 and 25th March, 1971 uill be relevant. 7. The onus and burden of proof uuuld be on the claimant to prove his claims and similarly on the objector to prove his objection. 8. If an objector or claimant relies on documents which are in exclusive possession of the Government to prove his case, then it is for the Electoral Registration Officer to examine the details from the records available in the office. 9. One of the criteria fur eligibility for enrolment as an elector is citizenship and the Electoral Registration Officers should rely primarily on the following documents (a) Citizenship certificate issued by competent authority; (b) Extract from electoral roll of 1971 or pre-1971 electoral roll; (c) Copies of National Register of Citizens (N .R . C . ) ; and (LJ) Certificate of date of birth. Any other document like land records, certificates from gaon burahs etc. should be taken as only supporting and not conclusive evidence. - 102 10. The Electoral Registration Officers under the pouers entrusted under Rule 21(a) of Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, ars empowered to delete, after following prescribed procedure, the names of persons who cease to bo or are not ordinarily residents in the constituency* 11. Under the said rule, the Electoral Registration Officer may delete the names of ineligible persons brought to his notice by plain paper objections after fully satisfying himself about the evidence produced by the objector. 12. The Electoral Registration Officers were also to delete the names of persons included in List-I from List-II on the basis of perfunctory reports of verification authorities if such cases are brought to his notice at tho time of rechecking by Additional Chief Electoral Officers and Central Observers. 13. The Electoral Registration Officers were authorised under rule 21 (1 ) to include names which were left out of the rolls inadvertently through clerical mistakes. The Commission's directions stressed the point that no person who can prove his eligibility for inclusion in the electoral'rolls should be deprived of the privilege. For this purpose »the Registration Officer was mainly dependent on the evidence produced - 103 by the individual concerned and the records available with the Government. In this regard the Registration Officers faced many problems because sometimes the Departments of the State Government relevant documents in time. did not produce For example* in a particular area after verification uas over and the Electoral Registration Officers had taken action on the ba'sis of such verification reports, it was brought to their notice that about 4000 persons in that District had actually been served with Quit India Notices and this uas not reported td.the Electoral Registration Officers. Ths Electoral Registration Officers were asked to ra-open all such cases to delete the names of persons concerned after following the prescribed procedure. There ware also instances of certain officers who failed to record speaking orders on claims and objections while passing orders. The Additional Chief Electoral Officers and Central Observers were required to check all such cases and also other cases to see whether the disposal of claims and objections has been done in a systematic manner and in accordance with the instructions of the Commission. In the peculiar circumstances prevailing in the State and also keeping in view the fact that the Electoral Registration Officers were required to examine and pass orders in - 104 respect of more than 23 lakhs of claims and objections, the task was gigantic and could be completed uith the active involvement of all concerned particularly the supervisory officers. On 1bth August, 1935,the Governor of Assam dissolved the Assam Legislative Assembly under Mrticle 174(2)(b) of the Constitution of India. The last sitting of the dissolved assembly was held on 18th Duly, 1905 and under the provisions of Article 174(1) of the Constitution, six months shall not intervene between the last sitting of one session of the assembly and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session, and accordingly the next session of ths assembly had to be convened before 1Cth January, 1906, Therefore, it was a Constitutional necessity that the Commission had to hold a general election to constitute a new legislative assembly before 10.1..1986. The Commission issued instructions that the disposal of claims and objections should be finalised early and the electoral rolls shall be finalised as early as practicable to pave the uay for holding the general elections in time in the State. About 70 additional Chief Electoral Officers, 10 Central Observers and over 3000 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers were appointed to complete the gigantic task and to have effective supervision over the disposal - 105 claims and objections. It was also stressed that the Commission1s guidelines should be strictly adhered to. As on 27th September, 1385, the total number of claims and objections filed during the entire period fixed for receiving claims and objections (which incidentally happens to be lonqest ever allowed in any State so far) was a little over 23 lakhs, after disposing of all claims and objections* the electoral rolls of all 126 constituencies were finalised and published finally on 7th November, 1905, thus bringing to a successful conclusion, the massive and difficult operation of the revision of electoral rolls started on 19th Novcmb-r, 1904 with house to house enumeration. In the context of the situation in Assam, the revision of electoral rolls in that State have bean a stupendous exercise and with the existinq constraints, all possible efforts were made to prepare as fair an electoral roll as possible. The credit for this must be shared by the dedicated functionaries involved in this herculean task The Commission commends the good work dene by the Chief Electoral Officer, Additional Chief Electoral Officers, Central Observers, Deputy Commissioners, Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Elsctoral Registration Officers and thousands of other officer Officers, against heavy odds. It would not have bean possible to achieve such herculean task without their unfailing help and cooperation. - 106 CHAPTCR-VII.I JL9-— ~» LCGISLATIT/'E AsseWCFor' r AND Elections to the Lok Sabha from 14 constituencies in Assam could not be held alonguith the rest of the country as the intensive revision undertaken in that State in fulfilment of the assurance given to the Supreme Court could not be completed before the commencement ".of the process of that general election. The Assam Assembly uas dissolved by the Governor on the 18th August, 1985, The last sitting of the said House uas held on 18th| Duly, 1985, Keeping in view the provisions of Article 17i\(i) of the Constitution, general elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly were to be held well in time so that the assembly could meet before 18th 3anuary, 1986. The intensive rsvision of electoral r o l l s , started in April, 1984,uos completed on 7th November, 1985 uith the final publication of rolls in a l l the 126 assembly constituencies. to an end the The memorandum of settlement bringing long draun-out agitation on foreign nationals issue uas signed on 'the 15th August, 19B5« To give effect to the terms of settlement as incorporated in the memorandum, the date for receiving claims and objections had to be extended in some constituencies upto 27th Ssptember, 1985. In some constituencies uhere tho r o l l s had already been finally published, these rolls uere published again in draft and claims and objections contd. • • • • • - 107 v uere invited till 27th September, 1985. Ten Central Observers draun from among senior Central Government Officers uere appointed to oversee the revision programme and ensure that the Commission*s guidelines issued from time to time uere followed stictly by the Electoral Registration Officers, election On the 6th November, 1985, the Chief Election Commissioner convened a meeting uith the senior officers of the Assam Government and the Central Government to take stock of the lau and order situation and the state of preparedness in holding the general elections. In consultation uith the Chief Secretary of Assam and on the assurance of the Union Home Secretary that the Central Government would be in a position to provide adequate forces from Centre and other States for conducting a single day poll, the Commission decided to have a one-day poll throughout the State, A common programme for the general election to the Assembly and the 14 seats in the Lok Sabha uas draun up as under *.1. Issue of notification colling the election 2. : 15.11.1985 : 22.11.1985 : 23.11.1985 of candidatures : 25.11.1985 Date of poll : 16.12.1985 : 20.12.1985* Last date for filing nominations 3. Scrutiny of nominations 4. 5. Last date for withdrawal 6. Date of completion Hours of poll uere extended fixed fromto7.30 to 3.30 pm. * This uas subsequently 23rd am December, 1985. - 103 Pollincj stations; In a l l , 13704 polling stations were set up. In a feu polling stations, the number of electors assigned exceeded 1300. In thesa cases, the Commission suggested the setting* up of auxiliary polling stations. In 21 polling stations spread over 17 assembly constituencies, the number of electors assigned uas belou 100 and in polling station No.27 set up in 72-Barchalla, this number was only 5. These 5 electors could not be tagged on to any other polling station because the Mara Belsiri village lies in Q char area between the two rivers Brahmaputra and Belsiri. Nominations? scrutiny*, withdrawal of nominations and ppntiestinqi candidates: For the 126 assembly constituencies, a t o t a l number of 1462 candidates filed their nominations. 53 nominations were rejected. On scrutiny, Of the 1409 validly nominated candidates, 271 candidates withdrew their candidatures leaving 1138 contesting candidates in the field. Poll from 25-Golakganj had to be countermanded. Excluding the 10 nominations filed from this constituency the number of candidates in the field for the poll on 16th December, 1985 was 1128, For 14 seats in the Lok Sabha, 123 candidates nominations, of which 2 were rejected, filed leaving 121 validly contd,.,«,« - 109 nominated c a n d i d a t e s . 15 candidates withdrew t h e i r c a n d i d a t u r e s , leaving 106 contesting candidates. Tha party-uiise break up of contesting candidates uas as follows: S,NQO niNaros of the party 1. 2* 3. Number pf contesting, candidates Lok 5ajbha^_ Assembly Indian National Congress 13 125 3an P ta Party 10 86 Indian Congress(Socialist) 8 73 4. Communist Party of India 2 20 5. Communist Party of India(Marxist) 2 39 6. Bharatiya Dnnata Party 2 38 7. Lok Dal 3 19 3 - 28 1 63 106 699 1128 S t a t s Party Plains T r i b a l s Council of Assam Rsvilutionary S o c i a l i s t Party ( S t a t s P a r t y ' i n West Bengal & Tripura) & others: ___» Total There uere no s t r a i g h t c o n t e s t s e i t h e r for Assembly or for the Lok Sabha. the While tho number of candidates ranged from 5 t o 10 for the Lok Sabha, this varied from 3 to 21 for the Assembly. The lowest number of c a n d i d a t e s , v i z . 3 1-Ratabari(SC) uere in u h i l a the highest number 21 uere in HB-Moran. The contd,.»,. - 110 break-up of multi-cornared contests is as follows I u of" caTuiidlatVs "No*." o f ' ' c o n s t i t u e n c i e s No. of No. o f candid a tes.constituenA s s e rn b l y Lok Sabha 1 4 3 1 3 7 ? 4 5 6 13 8 9 10 1 7 3 B 17 23 9 10 12 14 11 12 7 12 13 3 14 1 15 16 3 3 17 18 2 2 1 1 5 6 4 11 9 19 21 125 A_ll_oj^mTejvt_ jxf_ symbols: The Reuolutionary Socialist Party uhich i s a recognised State Party i n the States of Tripura and Uest Bengal u i t h reserved symbol 'Spade and Stoker 1 uas given i t s reserved symbol i n the Assam election under paragraph 10 of the the Symbols Order, 1968. Every organisation uhich uants to be registered as a p o l i t i c a l party by; the Commission has to apply for r e g i s t r a t i o n giving details as mentioned i n paragraph 3 of the Symbols Order. The main c r i t e r i o n for r e g i s t r a t i o n is the e l e c t o r a l support i t enjoys. This can be guaged by the Commission by the t o t a l number contd, - 111 - of valid votes secured by a-1-! i t s contesting candidates afe a'general election. Therefore, the Commission generally gives some concession in contesting elections to such organisations over purely independent candidates by uay of preference in the matter of allotment of symbols. For the Assam election, the following 3 organisations applied for and secured such concession:1. 2. Asom Gana P a r i s h a d . United Minorities Front. 3. United Tribal Nationalists Liberation Front. In a feu cases, the Commission revised the allotment of symbols made by Returning Officer so as to adhere to the s p i r i t of the Symbols Order. Polling personnel and JJ oiling materials^ In a l l , 54,816 ballot boxes and 15,074 indelible ink phials of 7.5 cc were used. In view of the large number of contesting candidates, ballot boxes available uere short of requirements and supplies had to be rushed from Bihar and Orissa, 60 metric tonnes each of cream uove and pink uove paper uere used for printing of ballot papers. Scheme of Broadcast/Telecast over Akashvani/ Doordarshan by the representatives of p o l i t i c a l parties durlTno, Lok Sabha/State LeQislativ/e" Assembly elections: The scheme of election broadcast/telecast by recognised National/State p o l i t i c a l parties had been in vogue since the general elections to various State Assemblies held in May-Oune, 1977, Legislativi The scheme with contd.... - 112 - suitable modifications hnd bean am lied to Lok Sabha/ Assembly slections held thereafter with the approval of the Government of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Under this scheme, the candidates sponsored by the p o l i t i c a l parties which are recognised under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 are allowed to avail themselves of this facility. Keeping in view the situation prevailing in the State of Punjab before the general elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly held in September, 1985, the Commission recommended to the Government of India for making the scheme applicable in the State of Punjab ot the d i s t r i c t level so that the candidates sponsored by the recognised National/State p o l i t i c a l parties could place their views before the electorate. The scheme met with great success and was highly appreciated by the p o l i t i c a l parties and the nublic. The Commission suggested to the Government of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ,that broadcasting f a c i l i t y be extended to the candidates sponsored by the recognised political parties at the d i s t r i c t level in Assam also. The scheme at the d i s t r i c t level in the State of Assam somehow could not be implemented. Only the conventional scheme of broadcast/telecast was made applicable during the general elections to Lok Sabha/State Legislative Assembly in Assam, contd,... - 113 - The Commission appointed 10 senior officers of the Government of India of the mnk of 3oint Secretaries r.o Central Observers and 9 senior State Government officers of the rank of Commissioners as i t s observers to supervise the conduct of poll and counting of votes. Ten Central Observers were given charge of one d i s t r i c t each. Similarly, seven of nine State Government officers were also given charge of one d i s t r i c t each. The 10 Central Government officers were the same uho were earlier appointed to supervise the revision of electoral rolls in the State. 15 senior officers In addition, of the State Government were also appointed as Assistant Observers uho would report directly to the Commission's observers, ^AjjjTTJj^jstrptive arrangements: In vieu of the experience of the 1983 elections and the volatile political situation, the Commission made elaborate administrative arrangements for the peaceful conduct of poll. Central para-military forces like Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force were deployed in adequate strength throughout the State. Police uireless network uns extensively used even in places uhere Post & Telegraph telecommunication f a c i l i t i e s were available. A master plan uas draun up for the movement of polling parties and materials, uith necessary security measures. The Chief Election Commissioner had made i t clear to the electorate that a l l administrative arrangements cantd.... - 114 - had boon made for proventinn violence of any kind and intimidation of voters. any He also issued a warning that .attempt at booth capturing during polling and violence of any kind would be severely dealt with. State Governments of Uest B e m a l , Tripura and Meghalaya were put on alert to supplement facilities for printing of ballot papers. However; the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam,could manage to print the ballot papers within the State by stretching his resources to the full. At the request of the Commission, the neighbouring States of Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Uest Bengal and Union Territories of Arunachal Pradesh and Flizoram made available the required number of jeeps, trucks and buses to supplement the fleet of vehicles in Assam, flection campaign? Campaign was, generally, peaceful excepting for minor incidents of violence and tearing away of election posters by rival candidates. Complaints t The Dorhat district unit of Asom Gana Parishad complained that the ruling party was not allowing others to organize meetings. This complaint was found baseless on inquiry, contd,..,, Complaints wore 115 - 'received both from Asom Gapa Parishad ond Indian National Congress about attacks on t h e i r e l e c t i o n offices and assaults on party uorknrs, Tho Commission wrote to the Chief Sacratary to ensure that all'parties and candidates are enabled to do electioneering free from any d i s r u p t i o n . Model Code of Conduct; Government of Assam sought the advice of the Commission as to whether the following would constitute v i o l a t i o n of the Model Code:1. Opening of an Inland Container Department of North East Frontier Railway on the 14th November, 1985 by the Chief Minister 2. of Assam* The engagement had been f i x e d Implementation of tho Assam Colleges Management and Control)Act, 1985. earlier, (Taking over of The B i l l had been passed i n A p r i l , 1985, but became an Act a f t e r assent of the President of India on 6*11,1985 and o f f i c i a l intimation received by Assam Government on 12.11,1985. 3. D i s t r i b u t i o n of loan/grant e t c , i n cash and kind to the beneficiaries under the D.R.D, Scheme on the occasion of the late Prime Minister Smt, Indira Gandhi's Birthday on 19,11.1985, The Commission advised that a l l thdabove cases would be v i o l a t i v e of the Model Code, Ap^rt from the above, the Commission had asked for f u l l facts and inquiry reports on the following alleged contd,,,, - 116 - violation of the Model Code, 1. Tha news item in the Indian Express, New Delhi Edition of 9,11.1985 quoting the Chief Minister of Assam as announcing supply of rice ®Rs.2/- per Ko. to persons be low the poverty line and introduction of mid-day meal scheme for primary school children and free uniforms for them. 2. Asom Gana Praishad alleged (i) Misuse of official machinery by Indian National Congress meetings at Dudges field Guunhati on 25,11.1985 and at Nazira on 10,12.1985; ( i i ) A sum of Rs.82 lakhs was sanctioned from the State Exchequer to recruit 5000 Village Defence Parties from Bihar including handwriting experts allegedly to forge , signatures of Presiding Officers; and ( i i i ) Excise Department uas given Orders to embark upon wide-spread bottling of country liquor from 1.12,1985 while such bottling had been suspended e a r l i e r . 3. Shri Dyoti Basu, Chief Minister of Uest Bengal alleged that Central Government had announced the setting up of a power plant in Assam with Dapanese collaboration, 4. Shri Basudeb Acharya, Member of Parliament and four others alleged t h a t the Centre had threatened drastic cuts in the Five-Year Plnn allocations which would throw the Assam economy into doldrums, A Union Minister had thrown up the bait of 25,000 jobs for Assamese youth, if his party uas voted to power. contd,« - 117 - 5. Bharatiya Dannta Party alleged misuso of nircr- ft by the Prirnu Fiinistur for election campaign nrri rn n :;:?ly of covorago of his meetings by the media. The Government of Assam had raoorted that no Village . Defence Parties uere appointed from outside the State. Village Defence Parties of the State had to be mobilized for assisting the polics in lau and order duties and guarding of vital installations like bridges, railuay tracks etc. Reports on other complaints are awaited. According to standing instructions of the Commission, persons engaged in election uork should not be transferred once the election programme is announced. Transfer Orders issued earlier but not implemented would also be covered under this embargo. A fou cases of violations of these instructions uoro brought to the notice of the Commission. It uas reported that four officers in Kamrup district were asked to hand over charge of their office after the elections were announced. One Controlling Officer did not immediately release an officer engaged in election uork under his charge and there uas, therefore, delay in his handing over charge. This officer, uho handed over charge late, is reported to have been placed under suspension. The Commission asked for the full facts of the case and also the circumstances in uhich the allaged action had been taken. - 118 -. A report from the State Government was nc^ived and on scrutiny i t uas found that the Commission's guidelines regarding ban on transfer of officers or implementation of such orders in respect of those connected uith elections after announcement of elections had been violated in the instant case. Polling parties started moving from 14.12.1985 onwards. Due to river erosion, eight polling personneisof a pplling party uere injured. the State Government and r e l i e f . The Commission had requested • to give them proper medical attention Replacements uere arranged immediately. At polling station No.7 of 94-Sarupatthar assembly constituency, Shri Dhiren Bhattacharjee, one of the polling officers, died of heart attack. The Commission had requested the State Government to provide immediate monetary relief to the family. In a violent incident, Shri Haricharan Deka, Personal Security Officer of Shri Banesuar Saikia, a contesting candidate from 84—Batodorba assembly constituency, uas seriously injured. The Commission has requested the State Government to give a l l possible medical help to him. Poll passed off peacefully. There uas a heavy turnout of voters and in some polling stations, polling continued t i l l late i n the evening. The percentage of poll uas 80.38, eontd.,.. - 119 - Tho percentage of polling i n Assam has jaan the heaviest in i t s electoral history. e n t i r e l y nou phenomenon in India, Heavy p o l l is not an There uas heavy p o l l i n Kerala (86,08/C) during the Assembly elections in 1950, In the 1983 Assembly elections from Andhra Pradesh, there uas heavy polling (68,69%). In September, 1985 p o l l i n Punjab, there uas heavy polling (67,59%) inspite of the lau and order s i t u a t i o n . difficult In Assam too, the atmosphere created by the Assam accord and the reactions generated on this account explains the high percentage of p o l l i n g . The high percentage uas noticed throughout a l l the d i s t r i c t s and many individual constituencies as u e l l , irrespective of uhether those uore strongholds of one p o l i t i c a l party or tho other. The Commission's observers had categorically reported that the high percentage of polling uas not due to any electoral malpractice, po 11: Election from 25-Golakganj constituency uas countermanded because of the death of the 3anata Party candidato on 29.11,1985, £rss;h In six polling stations, spread over four assembly constituencies, fresh p o l l uas ordered as the p o l l held on 16,12.1985 uas found to bo v i t i a t e d . Fresh p o l l uas taken on 17.12.1985 and 18.12.1985. contd. - 120 - Counting commenced at 8.00 a.m. on the 17.12,1985 in a l l constituencies excepting a feu where- polled ballot boxes could not bs transported to the counting centres before scheduled time because of difficulties of t e r r a i n . As the polling percentage was yery high with some constituencies recording nearly 90% polling, counting of votes and declaration of result took a longer time. Further, against the background of the Commission's instructions on booth capturing, the Returning Officer had to analyse heavy percentage of poll in order to ensure that these uere no cases of booth capturing. There uas, however, considerable delay in announcing resultsand the Commission has asked for a detailed report from the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam, in this regard so as to rectify any deficiencies in the future. The Commission extended the date of completion of election from 20.12.1985 to 23.12.1985. The Asorn Gana Parishad and United Minorities Front, which are unrecognised and unregistered organizations secured a large number of seats and the Asom Gana Parishad could secure an absolute majority. A statement showing party-wise contestants and seats won in the parliamentary and assembly elections is annexed. - 121 - The Commission issuod the notification constituting the nou Legislative Assembly of Assam on 23.12.1985. Tho nou Government led by Asom Gana Parishad assumed office on 24.12.1985. me e ti nq I The first meeting of ths neu Legislative Assembly took place on 9.1,1986, The term of the neu Assembly will, therefore, extend upto 8,1,1991, GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE HOUSE J3FJ_HE_ .PEOPLE AND LEGISLATIVE A5?E>TB LT^OF~TsSATFTri 985 y^T{^iST"^S^^^^WQ^^y evel ~ """ "" " "U" "~ 'Party-uis"e_ con t e s t i nq _ca_n"dTdate"s"*anid^sejjs^uon"*"*" |~*Tnd"e'pen>d'en'i:;!3T ~* pTcT 1 ction TNC* * ' T I C S ^ T C ' P K T - ^ N P . T T i M ^ T . B3P " T 3 ^ " X * H l and others"' Total *TT~T1c" E ;c E; c E', c ; E; c 2 Sabha 13 4 8 1 2 - 1 0 - 3 ' cmbly 125 25 73 4 39 2 86 - 19 - 37 E"|1 r~Tc*""^T~T TT~ 2 - 20 - 3 1 63 28 3 701 CnntostGCJ. Elected., "xcludino the figures from 25-Golakqanj uhero p o l l uas countormandcd. [ncludos contested and e l e c t e d by u n r e g i s t e r e d p a r t i e s like Asom Gana Prrishad, Jnitcd H i n o r i t i o s Front, United T r i b a l s N a t i o n a l i s t Liberation Front e t c . T" 8 yz ^^~F 106 14 91 1228 125 - 123 CHAPTER - IX (A) Bisnnial elections to the (i) Council of States; Th R term of Shri Sharie f-ud-din, a member representing the State of Jammu & Kashmir in the Council of States, expired on 10th November, 1984. The Commission wrote to the State Government several times to suggest a suitable programme for holding the bye-election but there was no response. The Commission therefore, fixed a common programme with the date of poll as 3rd December, 1985 for holding this election as also two other pending bye-elections to the Council of States. The hours of poll were from 11.00 a.mo to 3.LJ0 p.m. Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the 3ammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly uere appointed as Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer respectively. There uere three validly nominated candidates of which one withdrew his candidature, leaving two in the field. The poll was taken as scheduled and Shri Tirathram Amla, set up by INC, was declared elected. A notification under Section 71 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 was published in the Gazette of India on 12,12.1965. Hence the term of elected member will extend upto 11.12.1991. - 124 - (i$ Bye-electip_n ^^J:}22.Jl^!2IlIllJL^LJ'^^JLJTom W3st Shri Arnar Prasad Chakraborty, a member of the Council of States from U e st Bengal, passed auay en the 27th October, 1965, His tarm otherwise would otherwise have/expired on 22nd April, 1990. A bye-election had therefore, to be held to fill the vacancy. The bye- election was held with the date of poll as 3rd December, 1985. Shri Chitta Basu of All India Forward Bloc was the only contesting candidate. He was declared elected unopposed on 25.11.1985 i.e. the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures, (ij.i)Bye~electjon to the Council of States from U.P, Shri Sysd Sibt§ Raji, elected to tha Council of States from Uttar Pradesh resigned on 14.5.1985. His term was otherwise to extend upto 4,7.1986, The date of poll for bye-elaction was fixed as 3.12.1985. As ther3 was only one contesting candidate i.e. Shri Narain Oatt of INC, he was declared elected unopposed on 25.11.1985 i.e. th e last date for withdrawal of candidatures. ('-O Bye-aloctjons to the House of the People: During December, 1985 bye-elections to fill 7 vacancies in tha House of the Paople were held. - 125 The details of these vacancies are givsn b TJarnG~oT S'ta't'e ~l\lc".""oT ~N~."~&~Na'me' "of" Cause" of" Data~oT saats constituency* vacancy, vacancy, vacant. 2 11 JQ 11111I I I I I l I I I I I l I I I I I I 1. Bihar 2 2. Orissa 1 23-Kisanganj ^23-Banka 5-Kendrapara Death Resign. 2.7.85 8.11.85 R e sig- 25.3,85 nation 3. Rajasthan 4. 1 Uttar Pradesh 1 5. U e at Bengal 1 6. Delhi 1 3-Churu Death 22.6.85 5-Bijno r (SC) Death 17.5.85 41-Bolpur(SC) Death 5.5.85 Death 31.7.85 2-South Dalhi Tha Commission fixed the follouing common programme u/ith date of poll as 16.12.1985 for these b y e - e l e c t i o n s . (a) the 22nd November, 1985(Friday), as the l a s t date for making nominations; (b) the 23rd November, 1985(Saturday),as the date for the scrutiny of nominations; (c) the 25th November, 19B<E>(V\onday), as the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures. (d) the 16th December, 1985(Monday) as the date on uhich a poll uas, if necessary, to be taken; and (e) the 20th December, 1985(Friday), as the date before uhich the election was to be completed. The number of persons who filed nomination papers, validly nominated candidates and contesting - 126 candidates ueru as given below: Name of parliamentary Candidated/persons unm/uhosa Constituency. Filed" NorrTirP Valid!y Withdraw Contnomin- ation nomina- Candida- asted ated paper ted. turas papers, rejected. __ 111 1 11111111 Z2I III £ _I 1 23-Kishanganj 10 1 9 29-Banka 10 - 3L" 9 1 8 2 6 - - 9 3 6 3-Churu 35 1 34 17 1? 5-Bijnor(SC) 35 1 34 23 11 4!-Bolpur(SC) - 5 - 5 31 9 22 5-Kendrapara 2-South Delhi 33 2 The hours of p o l l fixed u e r e from 8.00 A.m. t o (SC) 4 . 0 0 P.M. e x c e p t for 41-Bolpui/ where i t u a s 7.30. A.M. t o 3 . 3 0 P.M. An independent candidate from 3-Churu parliamentary constituency in Rajasthan passed auay but election was not required to be countermanded under the amended provisions of section 52 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Houever a question arose as to whether tha name of the dead candidate should continue to appear on ballot paper of the said constituency, which had already been printed. The Commission noted - 127 t h a t undor Rula 3u(2) of Conduct of Election K 1961, tha names of candidates s h a l l b3 arrangad on b a l l o t papers in the same o r d a r , appeared in the l i s t in which thay of c o n t e s t i n g c a n d i d a t e s (Form 7 H ) . Section 38(1 ) of Representation of the Paopla n e t , 1951 defines a ' c o n t e s t i n g candidate' t o mean a candidate whose name i s included in the l i s t of v a l i d l y nominated c a n d i d a t e s and who has not withdrawn h i s candidature within the period prescribed for the purpose. The said s e c t i o n 38 and r u l e 11 p r e s c r i b e f u r t h e r the manner of p r e p a r a t i o n and p u b l i c a t i o n of l i s t of contesting effect c a n d i d a t e s . ^Keeping in view the cumulative of the p r o v i s i o n s of the above s e c t i o n s and the r u l e s and p r a c t i c a l a s p e c t of the problem, the Commission decided t h a t the name of the dead candidates should continue t o appear on b a l l o t notwithstanding paper his death. The p o l l was held as scheduled and the c a n d i d a t e s wore declared following elected:- I\lanie~*o7 T\IQT ~& i\ia'me~"o7 ~~ "Name~~o7 "elsVted" ~" State_ Constituency candidate Bihar Orissa 23-Kishanganj d-29-Eanka 3NP INC Shri Sarat Kumar Deb 3NP Hajasthan 3-Churu Shri Narendra Budnia INC Uttar Pradesh Shrimati Weera Kumari Uest Bengal Delhi 5-Kindrapara S h r i Syed Shahabuddin Shri Chandrasekhar Singh Party" S-Bijnor(SC) 41-Bolpur (SC) Shri Somnath C h a t t e r j e e 2-South Delhi S h r i Arjun Singh INC CPM INC - 128 - v E) Byo-election and Countermanded poll to the ''LegislativG HSgamblias , of various S t n t a s . During the month, bya-alactions and countermanded elections frum 2 assGmbly constituencies in Punjab to f i l l the following vacancies in tho various States Legislative Assemblies were held simultaneously with general elections to Legislative Assembly of Assam with data of poll on 16.12.1985. Bihar 'St'at'e TJoT "of"" "WcT "ariB "Ra"me~~oT seats constituency. vacant. j -5 2 120-fiadhepura "~ "CaTJse "" T5a"Es of of vacancy vacancy -£ 4 Death 8.4 111-Kisunpur Death 8.5.85 Gujarat 1 148-Sayajiganj Death 24.9.85 Maharashtra 1 177-Signapur Death 3.9.85 Punjab 2 30-3allundur (North) I Death 31-3allundur i 28.9.85 (Central) Tamil Nadu 1 U a st Bengal 2 D e lhi 1 } 50-Choyyar , . Death 51-Aurangabad 2B3-Nanur 2-Luxmibai Nagar ' 9.9.85 Death 7.6.85 Resignation 6.11.85 Death 4.9.85 The l a s t date for withdrawal of candidatures of 177-Signapur(Maharashtra) and 148-Sayajiganj(Gujarat) was changed to 26th November, 1985 because 25th November 1985 was general holiday on account of Id-e-Milap in those S t a t e s . The number of persons who filed nominations, whoso nominations were rejected, validly nominated candidates, those who withdrew their candidatures and - 129 contesting candid i t us is givon bslou: contesting candidate's is qiv.;n bclou: "Name"" of 7Ts"3i'mbTy~"T'hos"3~w1ho"N~)'mTnatTons V a lidly with- Contestcons t i t u a n c y . filed rjjectjd. nomina- J r j u ing norninattod. capdi-Candidatdatur e ion. , JL B.s z z c z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z zw. _ JTZT*. ~ _n" 111-Kisanpur 15 120-Piadhepura 14 148-Sayajiganj 177-Signapur 15 2 13 3 11 3 8 15 - 15 6 9 22 - 22 13 9 30-3allandur North 23 - 23 11 12 - 28 15 13 31-3allandur Central 28 50-ChQyyar 14 14 4 10 7 7 2 5 203-Nanur (SC) 4 ~ 4 2 2-Luxmibai Nagar 24 24 11 Follouing persons were declared elected. 2 13 51-Aurangabad __ o_f 1 . 111-Kishunpur(Bihar) 2 . 120-Nadhepura (Bihar) 3 . 148-Sayajiganj(Gujarat) Shri Winayak Pd. Yadau, Lok Dal S h r i Rajendra Pd. Yadav INC S h r i Jaspalsingh* IND 4. 177-Singnapur (Plaharashtra)Shri Deshmukh Uarpudkar Suresh ambadasrao, I MD 5.. 3 0 - 3 a l l a n d h a r North S h r i Vaid Om Prakash D a tt>-BJP (Punjab) 6 6. 31-Jalandhar Ogntral S h r i SManmohan K a l i a , B3P (Punjab) ? 7. 50-Cheyyar(Tamil Nadu) S h . V.Kuppusamy, 8. 51-Aurangabad(Uest 8engal) S h r i Humayun Reza, 9. 283-Nanur (SC) (Uast B e n g a l ) S h r i Ananda Gopal Das, 10. 2-Laxmibai Nagar Shrimati Prem Dass H e t r o p o l i t a n Council The d e t a i l r e s u l t s a r e being apaendicetd. AIADMK INC CPM INC - 130 - Name of State : Cihar Name of Canstituancy : 23-Kishanganj Parliamentary Constituency. Electorate : 0,02,912 Valid votes polled : 3,03,003 Votes rejected : 4,104 Syed Shahabuddin (E) 3NP 2,12,423 I s r a r u l Haque INC 1,33,731 Khalilur Rahman I NO 14,007 Shri 3wala Prasad Gupta I NO 0,460 Shri Satyendra Nath l/erma I NO 2,534 PSahammadin Ahmed I NO 1,997 Shri Tara Chand I NO 1,943 Shri Oalak Das IND 1,754 Siraj Udin IND 1,146 -131- Name of State Gihar Name of constituency 29-Banka Parliamentary constituency. ElsCtorat3 7,00,453 Valid votes polled 3,71,792 Votes rejected 5,354 Name of candidates Party Shri Chandrashakhar Singh INC 1 ,62,754 Shri George Fornendes DNP 1 ,25,659 Shri 3anardhan B3P 74,303 Shri Ciuakar Oha INQ 6,034 Shri Nagarmal Dajoria I NO 1,941 Shri Rameshuar IND 1,101 Yadav Votes Polled - 132 - N:-.!•:=« "f S t a t e Orissa Name of Constituency 5_^ endrapara Constituency Electorate 7,55,029 Valid votes polled 5,20,151 5,032 Votes rejected Name of Candidate, 1*Shri 2.Shri 3.Shri 4.Shri 5.Shri 6.Shri .„,. „„ _„....__Jlarty_ _... Sarat Kumar Deb (E) Basanta Kumar Bi^sual Narayan N a l l i k Prasanna Kumar Parida Souri Prasad Sahoo Dhulesuar Nayak 3P INC IND IND IND IND Vot.es polled 2*75,105 2,35,160 6,004 1,615 1,397 870 - 133 Name of State Raj as then Name of Constituency 3-Churu Parliamentary Constituency Electorate Valid votes polled Votes 8,72,157 4,68,877 5,347 Name of Candidate 1 . • - Party Votes polled . - . . ; • I.Shri Narendra Budnia 2.Shri Daulatram Saran 3,Shri Durqadutt 4,Shri Narpat Singh 5,Shri Balraj Madhok 6.Shri Brij Bhushan Gosuami 7.Shri Madan Singh 8.Shri Major Khan 9.Shri Ramlal Ohard IC.Shri Ramsingh 11»Shri Ramkrishan 3oshi 12,Shri Vijaysingh Bothra 13.Shri Satyanarain Sharma 14.Shri Shokst Ali 15,Shri Abhe Ram 16 # Shri Rajfndra Kumar 17.Shri Hangalchand Soni Cong.(E) LKD IMD IND IND IND I NO IND IND IND I NO I NO IND IND IND IND IND 2j53 ,663" 1 ,86 ,016' 1,734" 3 ,675' 2 ,519 , 4,833'' 1,4603 ,380' 1,213' 1,546' 3 ,477' 1,508' 1 ,068" 1 ,041 66? 752 330 134 Name of State Name of Constituency polled Votes r e j ected Uttar Pradash 5-Bijnor(SC)Pa rliamentary Constituency 7,54,177 3,40,400 4,889 Name of Party Vo tes polled INC LKD 1 , 28.086 1 , 22,747 IND 61,504 13,766 3,684 3,249 1,850 1 j583 1,442 Electo r a t e Valid votes Candidate I.Smt Meera Kumari (E) 2.Sh. Ram B i l a s Pasuan 3.Smt •Maya Uati 4*Sh* Anand Suarup 5*Sh. Chandra Bhan 6.Sh. Har Govind 7.Sh. Ramji L a l 8*Sh. Kanti g.Sh.,ftcharya Pritamdas a l i a P.D.Gautam 10.Sh .Shish Ram Singh 11.Sh ,3aidish Saran IND IND IND IND IND IND IND IND 1,337 1,152 Name of S t a t e : Uest Lengal Name of C o n s t i t u e n c y : 41-Dolpur P a r l i a m e n t a r y constituency • Electorate ; 7,05,175 Valid votes polled ; 5,95,671 Votes rejected : 11,848 Shri Somnath Chatterjee (E) CPM 3,39,070 Sh r i Siddhartha Shankar Ray INC 2,4U,079 S h r i Kamala Kanta Roy IND 10,007 S h r i Narayan Chandra Mandal IND 2,245 - 136 Name of State Namo of Constituency Electorate Valid Votes polled Union Territory of De l h i 2-Sonth Oe l h i 2,98,192 2,95,083 Rejected votes 3,109 Name of Candidate Party V(_tes pol led 1*Sh.Arjun Singh (E) INC 1 ,61,744 2.Prof.Vijay Kumar ••Nalhotra 3«Prof.Dasuant Singh Phull B3P 1,21,830 4*Sh.F.M.Khan 5 , D r , 0 e v Bahadur Sharam Shola 6»nohd.Alam Beg 7.Prof .O.P.Saxena 3P 6,004 I NO 713 IND 664 569 IND I NO 8.5hri Avimash Puri 515 360 404 9.Shri Rup Lai Nehta 266 10.Sh.Lal Chand Adlakha 250 11.Sh.3agan Nath Vatsa IND 12.Sh.Roshan Lai 13»Sh.Ghanshyam Sharma Shastri Rajjyotshi 14.Sh.Atam Prakash 15.Sh.Rajinder Aggarual i6.Sh.S a tish Chand IND IND IND IND IND 227 17.Or.Abdul Kadir 3 a r n i IND 167 18*Sh.Amar Nath Yadav IND 118 19-.Sh.Surinder IND 103 204Sh.l v ianohar L a i 21*Sh.Balbir Singh Bir 22»Kaka Joginder Singh Dhartipakar 249 233 214 204 100 89' IND 60 - 137 Name of State Lihar Name of Constituency 111-Kishanpur /Assembly ccnstituancy. Electorate 1,45,423 Valid votes palled Votes rejected Name £ f _ _ ^ j ^ 74,307 1,620 "Party "Votes *PoTl"ed" LD 26,410 INC 24,525 DP 13,812 S h r i Arun Ku. Sharma IND 2,069 S h r i S h r i Charat Randal INC(S) 1,751 S h r i Oeokarn Sharma IND 1,169 S h r i Narayan Randal IND 1,137 Shri 3anak IND 067 Shib Nr. Mandal IND 804 Wd« Saveer Hussain IND 644 Shri Narendra Ram IND 490 Shri Dasudeo Piandal IND 400 Shri Vinodanand IND 213 S h r i Vinayak Pd. Yadav ( E ) Smt. Sudama Devi S h r i Vaidyanath Hehta l\jsahar Name of State Name of Constituency : . : 120—Madhepura assembly constituency. . Electorate : 1,50,306 Valid votes polled Uotes rejected : ; 70,067 1,225 Shri Hajendra Pd, Yadav INC 40,052 LD 34,179 Shri Pulkit Yadav IND 1,103 Shri Mohan Mandal IND 1,035 Shri Shashi Shekhar Yadav IND 010 Shri nnup Lai Pasuan IND 304 S h r i l*id. Azimollah I NO 201 Shri Pitambar Sitigh I NO 203 Shri Radhakant Yadav - 139 Nama of State Gujarat Name of Constituency 14U-Sayajiganj assembly Constituency Electorate 1,70,730 Valid votys polled 64,332 Uotes rejected 1,132 Shri Daspalsingh I NO 31,274 Dr. Purohit Chandrikaben Shirisnbhai INC 22,909 Shri Patel Ramanbhai Hirabhai 3NP 5,182 Shri Gadav Bipinkumar Dayabhai IND 3,202 Shri Wakuana Bhogibhai Purushotambhai INO 925 Shri G.G.Paradkar IND 331 Shri Patal Uithalbhai Haribhai IND 230 Shri Dabhi Diuyakumar Pratapsinh IND 193 Shri Solanki Thakorlal Dhanjibhai INO 86 - 140 - Name of S t a t e : Maharashtra Name of Constituency : 177-Sing napur /Assembly Constituancy. Electorate : 1,14, 61G Valid votes palled : 7 3 ,833 Votes rejected : 1,806 Name of Candidate Shri Deshmukh Uarpudkar Suresh ambadasrao Part_y_ Votes Polled IND 24, 331 Shri Gavali Uttamrao abajirao ICS 24, 019 Shri Jamkar Raosaheb Bapurao INC 19, 315 Shri Dudhate Laxman PUP 5, 352 Shri Manuate Nagorac Claloji I NO 4, 566 Shri Jadhav Ramrao Rajaramji IND 581 Shri Hatagale Madhavrao Digambarrao IN) 351 • Shri Kale Piraji Govindrao IND 235 Shri Karale Manohar Naravan I NO fladhavrao 83 - 141 Name of State : Punjab Name of Constituency : 30-jalandhar North Assembly Constituency. Electorate ; H,C43 Valid votes polled : 50,340 Votes rejected : 485 Shri Vaid 0m Parkash Datt BJP 21 ,206 Shri Avtar Henery INC 19,935 Shri Daulat Ram IND 7,420 Shri Raj Kumar Sehgal IND 502 Shri Joginder Pal Bhagat I NO 343 Shri Principal H.S.Preet IND 254 Shri ashuani Kumar Yogi IND 227 Shri Ptella Ram IND 126 Shri Yash Pal a l i a s Oaspal Singh Billa IND 90 Shri Braham Parkash Goyal IND 73 Shri Kulbhushan Kumar IND 69 Shri Su/aran Singh Advocate IND 23 - 142 Name of State Punjab Name of Constituency 31-3alandhar Central Assembly Constituency, Elactorate C2,(J50 Valid votes polled 47,026 Votes rejected 430 Shri Manmohan Kalia B3P 23,723 Shri Yash INC 16,651 Shri Des Raj Malhotra DNP 4,L62 Dr. Uaryam Singh Rajput IND 531 Shri Mehar Chand IND 409 Shri IND 238 Shri Inderjit Gupta IND 172 Shri Sunil Kumar Gora IND 148 Shri Rajindra Sugandh IND 119 Shri Sukhbir Singh Hazooria IND 75 Shri Inderjit Singh Khalsa IND 42 Shri Jauahar Lai IND 33 Shri Beant Singh IND 23 Fianmohan - 143 Name of State Tamil Nadu Name of Constituency 50~Cheyyar Assembly c o ns t i t u 3 nc y * Electorate 1,22,382 Valid votes polled Votes rejected 9b,349 2,129 Na_rneaf Shri U.Kuppusamy \IADMk 59,043 Shri V.Anbazhagan 3FK 37,675 Smt. N. Nalini I NO 312 Shri IND 304 S h r i Flanak Chand Nahar I NO 269 S h r i a.R»Narayanan I NO 212 Shri E.3agannathan I NO 183 Shri R.Selvam IND 137 Shri G.Rajasekaran IND 119 Shri Pulavar Mani Ezhilan IND 95 T.Karuthapandi - 144 * (i)Name of State : West Bengal Name of Constitusncy s 51-Auranoaba d A s s e m b l y Canstitue joy. Electorate : 1,09,060 Valid votes polled : 02,290 Votes rejected : 1,307 Name of 8andidate Party Shri Humayun Reza ( E ) INC 40,477 Touab> A H CPM 39,344 Shri Kurban A l l I NO 1,213 Shri Mrinal K.anti Ghosh I NO 796 Shri Madhub Chandra Sardar IND 460 (2)Naras of State Name of Constituency Votes Polled : Uest Bengal s 203-Nanur(SC) assembly constituency Electorate : 1,12,300 Valid votes polled ; 86,707 Votes rejected a e o a d : 2,227 p r ! I i Z I £ 5 ^ 1 % ZZ Z Z Z Z Z Z i£ iyZ IPIL*3]*. Shri Ananda Gopal Das (E) CPP1 47,361 Shri Adhir Kumar Saha INC 37,425 S h r i Ram Haara I NO 1,294 S h r i N i l k a n t a Hazra INO 627 »#» • E ! ^ - 145 STATE : Union Territory of Delhi Name of Constituency : 2-Laxmibai Nagar Metropolitan Co u ncil. Electorate ; 37,466 Valid votes poll e d : 18,673 Votes rejected : 264 Name of candidate Part^ Smt. Prem Oass INC 9,643 Shri Kidar Nath Sacndeva B3P 8,294 5hri Satpal IND 311 Shri D.k-.nehta I NO 140 Shri Racnssh INO 110 Shri Bhim Sinqh I NO 42 Shri P.N.Tondon IND 32 Shri P.K.Sharma INO 29 IND 23 Shri Manga Ram IND 20 Shri Mahesh Bhola IND 10 Shri Harish Bharuaj IND 10 Shri Harbhajan Singh IND g (E) Shri Rajeov Kumar Votes Polled - 146 CHAPTER - X Bhausaheb Bandudkar Gumantak Party ~ Ragjstratjun of, Bhausaheb Bandodkar Gomantak Party which contested general election to the Legislative Assembly of Goa, Da m a n & Diu, held in December 'G4 secured 6.93% of the valid votes polled. After excluding the votes secured by the candidates who could not be elected and who did not poll of atleast 1/I2th /the valid votes polled in the constituencies concerned* percentage of valid votes secured comes 5.5L. This performance made it eligible not only for registration under para 3 but also recognition as a political party under para 6(2) (B) of the Election Symbols (Reservation and allotment) Order, 1966. Th B party could not return any candidate to the assembly. Therefore conditions specified under sub para 2(A)(B) of para 6 of the order were not fulfilled. On being satisfied with the documents produced the Commission registered and recognised Bhausaheb Bandodkar Gomantak Party under symbols Order 1960 with the reserved symbol "peacock" vide its order dated 24th December. 1905 which is being reproduced in appendix. - 147 A»VENDIX ELECTION COfll'ilSSlON OF INDIA Nirvachan S:>dan, Ashok Read, New Delhi-110001 Dated 24th December, 1305. Agrahayana 3, 1907(Saka) NOTIFICATION S.O.- Uhereas the Election Commission of India is satisfied that as a result of its poll performance at the general election to the Legislative Assembly held in December, 1904, in the Union Territory of Goa, Daman & Diu, the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Gomantak Harty is entitled for registration and recognition as a State Party in the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu in terms of paragraph 3 and 6 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment)0rder, 196G; And whereas the Commission has decided to recognise the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Gomantak Party as a State Party in the Union Territory of Goa, Daman & Diu and reserve the symbol 'Peacock* for the said party in that Union Territory; and Nou, therefore, in pursuance of clause (b) and (d) of sub«-paragraph (1) and sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 17 of the Election Symbols(Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1960, the Election Commission - 148 hereby makes the following amendments in its notification No. 56/04-1, dated the 13th November, 1984, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(iii), dated the 16th November, 1984, as amended from time to time, namely (1) In Table 2 of the said notification, against the Union Territory of Goa,Daman & Diu, under columns 1 and 3 of the Table, the entries "3. Bhausaheb Bandodkar Gomantak Party .Peacock", shall be added: (2) In Table 4 of the said notification, against the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu mentioned in Column 1 thereof the entry "11. Peacock" specified in column 2 thereof shall be deleted and the existing entries (12) to (19) shall be renumbered as (11 ) to (10). The recognition granted to the above mentioned political party is subject to the following conditions: — (i) The party shall communicate to the Commission without delay any change in its name and head office, Office bearers and their addresses and political principles, policies and objectives and any change in any other material matters; (ii) The party shall intimate the Commission immediately whenever any amendments are issued to party constitution along with the relevant documents like the notice for the meeting, minutes of the meeting where the amendments have been carried etc} (iii) The party shall maintain all the records like minutes books accounts beokg, membership register, receipt books, etc* - 149 (iv) The said records shall be open for inspection at any time by the authorised representative(s) of the Commission; and (v) The recognition granted shall be reviewed by the Commission from time to time. /"No. 56/04-XI/IH7 By Order, Sd/(R.P.BHALLA) SECRETARY - 150 CHAPTER - XI CONFERENCE OF CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICERS, 1985. Soon after the Assam General Elections, a conference of Chief Electoral Officers was convened on the 26th and 30th December* 1985 to take stock of the special Problems faced during the two general elections to Punjab and Assam Legislative Assemblies held in 1985 and also the other problems and shortcomings in the system which had surfaced after the last such conference held in July, 1984. The Chief Election Commissioner in his inaugural address mentioned that two momentous elections from Punjab and Assam were conducted in an atmosphere of peace and without any major incidents of violence, rigging and other malpractices. This was a matter of pride as much for the whole country, for the whole nation, political parties, candidates, as for the electoral machinery and last but not the least for the average Indian elector. The role of the Indian Press was commended, as in many cases, breaches of the Code of Conduct came to the notice of the Commission firstly through the reports in the press. He was gratified to note that the ruling parties in various States sought the advice of the - 151 Commission on the possibla violation of tha Model Code by their proposed action and generally abided by the Commission's advice without demur. As on the last occasion, the items for discussion were distributed among three working groups each headed by one Chief Electoral Officer* Officers All the Chief Electoral/were included in on e working group or the other. Each working group discussed the items assigned to their in detail and made its recommendation which were discussed in the open session. Owing to the said demise °f his beloved mother* Chief Election Commissioner was not able to preside over the open session. As directed by him, Deputy Election Commissioner -.-conducted the proceedings* Some of the more important decisions of the conference are as under: The Conference took note of the two important legislations which had strengthened the electoral system - one on defections and the other on regulation of company donations to political parties — and expressed the hope that as a cordllary, Government would also accept t^e Commission's recommendations on compulsory auditing of accounts of political parties. It took a serious view on reports of the States having international borders and emphasised ' the nssd not to allow any such illegal immigrants to get themselves registered in the electoral rolls. It favoured the continuance of fr®e supply of electoral rolls to recognised political parties, the introduction of free mailing of election literaturaf subsidized buying of time on the government media etc. to help political parties and candidates. It also favoured the extension of district-uise poll broadcasts tried in Punjab, immediate introduction of electronic voting machines and computerisation of election results. The consensus was in favour of a single day poll subject to availability of required number of polling and police personnel. There should be an embargo on the last minute inclusion or deletion of names in the after electoral rolls and decisions on appeals/the issue °^ notaification. While the unhealthy trend of multiplicity of candidates was to be checked, a blanket ban on independents was not favoured by the conference. The objective could be achieved by a package of incentives to recognised political parties and disincentives to independents. In view of the utility of the earlier electoral rolls in the light of Assam revision of roll, it was decided to preserve one copy of the electoral rolls as a permanent record. 153 - Thesa r o l l s may be preserv/ad either in the archives or alsauhere or be microfilmed . - 154 CHAPTER-XI I Prss3 RGp.grts on jof Foreign Countries and other matter off interest. i t During the month of December,85 Press reports, editorials and articles on elections and p o l i t i c a l systems of foreign countries and other matters of interest appeared in the press. The press reports which are considered to be of special interest are reproduced in full in the following pages. Date Name& Neus paper Topic 4.12.85 Hindu, Madras Election in Quebec. 4,12.85 Hindu, Madras Declaration of Presidential electiins in Philiopines. 6,12.85 Patriot,New Delhi French President Mitterrand favours voting ritfhts to immigrants,, 10.12.85 Patriot,Neu Delhi Election of Civilian President in Guatemala. December,85 Parliamentary .. Affairs(Monthly). Editorial - 155 - QU EBE C \lOTES OUT. 5E PARAT ISTS. Voters i n the French-speaking p r o v i n c e of Quebec i n Canada l a s t n i g h t ended nine years of r u l e separatist minded P a r t i Quebecois by g i v i n g L i b e r a l p a r t y a massive m a j o r i t y a c c o r d i n g t o computer p r o j e c t i o n s by the the o p p o s i t i o n t o form a new government based on e a r l y returns. The L i b e r a l s under Plr.Robert Bourassa, who s u f f e r e d a c r u s h i n g d e f e a t a t the hands of the P a r t i Quebecois i n 1976, uere p r o j e c t e d by Canadian t e l e v i s i o n t o u i n an e s t i m a t e d 90 seats i n the p r o v i n c e ' s 1?2 seat N a t i n a l Assembly. Support f o r t h e P a r t i Quebecois l e a d e r , fir P i e r r e Marc 3ohnson, who became Prime M i n i s t e r of Quebec j u s t nine weeks e g o , eroded more q u i c k l y than had been expected and the p a r t y , which came t o power w i t h the g o a l of p o l i t i c a l s e p a r a t i o n from E n g l i s h Canada, f a c e d an overwhelming speaking defeat. However, both flr.3ohnson and Mr.Bourassa strong personal challenges i n their Montreal area ridings (districts) faced respective and t r a i l e d opponents by narrow margins in early returns. With most of the 122-ridings reported, the Liberals had more than half tha popular vote providing Mr.Bourassa with mandate even larger than had been forecast i n pools throtight the five-week campaign. - 156 - At dissolution, tha Parti Quebecois held 80 soats and the Liberals 33. Seven membars were independent and two seats uere vacant. The Liberal landslide represents a stunning rejection of the Parti Quebecois despite his decision last Danuary to put aside the issue of separating Quebec from the rest of Candda - Reuter, HINDU MADRAS 4.12.85 157 - The Philippines President Mr Fordinand Marcos, signed legislation todey setting February 7 as the date for presidential and vice presidential elections. The bill was approved late last night by the National Assembly, uhich immediately went into recess until after the election. Uithin hours of Mr.Marcos signing the bill, along uith three other election related laus, the Philippines Bar Association and about a dozen opposition MPs filed a petition uith the Supreme Court challenging its constitutionality,. They asked the court to issue a restraining order on the Commission on Elections and National Treasury to t desist t from enforcing the law and to declare the lau "unconstitutional and invalid". In calling for an election 18 months before his term of office expires,Mr, Marcos wrote a letter of resignation effective only after the winner is declared and sworn into office. Court sources said the 13 Marcos appointed judges- were unlikely to discuss the netition beforo next weak. - 158 - CORAZON 30INS FRAY; Soon after the announcement, Firs, Corazon Aquino, uidou of the slain Senator said she would run for President against Mr.MaEPas who she believes had her husband k i l l e d . Firs, Aquino said she had offered to run uith the former Senator, Fir, Salvador Ho Laurel as her Vice President, but Fir .Laurel, who started his own compaign President, his not said whether he would accept. Calling herself "the host knoun victim of list Mr. Marcos" longVof victims, Mrs.Aquino said* she uould offer hope to the 1« 2million uho had signed petitions Filipinos urging her to run - AP, Hindu Madras 4.12.85 - 159 - J^'llTJiAJLJLl£ilL TO IMMIGRANTS. French President Francois Mitterrand hasr-Qa-1'-n called for the granting of tho right to vote to immigrants at local elections in France, "Everyone uho lives in France should he allowed react and set forth their opinions on all that concerns their everyday life, "fir Mitterrand said in an interview to the Paris daily "Le Matin." He regretted that the constitutional obstacles preventing immigrants from voting at local elections had not beon removed. It uas a pity, that in that domain French legislation uas less open1 than those of the Netherlands the Scandinavian countries and Great Britain, ho said. The problem of the four million immigrants in France is increasingly becoming a key topic in the election campaign, Uith racists increasingly rearing their heads in France, President Mitterrand said in another interview to domestic and foreign journalists that all foreigners uho had arri.ved in France through legal channels uith proper work papers must be made to feel "at home," PATRTOT NEU DELHI 6.12.85 - 160 - GUATEMALA ELECTS C I V I L I A N PR-I S I DENT C h r i s t i a n Democrat Uinicio Cerezo scored a l a n d s l i d e v i c t o r y today in runoff presidential e l e c t i o n r e s u l t s , becoming the f i r s t civilian to hold the post in 19 y e a r s . The triumph by tha 42 year-old y e s t e r d a y ^ e l e c t i o n comes a f t e r lauyoar in more than 30 years of v i r t u a l l y uninterrupted and often b r u t a l m i l i t a r y domination in t h i s Central American country. PATRIOT NEW DELHI 10.12.85 - 161 - ' Democracy knows no he i t s . After the elections to the Lok Sabha, Democratic process has bean continuous in India. Elections h?ve been held in Punjab and the popular Government established. Now, olecti -ns are scheduled to be held i(j Assam shortly. I t has been the intention of the Government and the Election Commission to hold elections in time and make the t?ey for the constitutionally elected Govts. to function In this laudable task the efforts properly. of the Government of India in general and those of the Prime Minister Sri Rajiv Gandhi and Chief Election Commissioner, Sri R.K.Trivedi in particular, are highly commendable. It i s , nou, the duty of the people and the p o l i t i c a l parties to extend their t'hole-hear ted co-operation to the Government in making democracy, a continuous process. PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS(fulNTHLY) DECEMBER,85 * CHAPTERS I I I * AU R E:\JO_IR. * On 31st December,1985, Shri Ram Krishna Trivcdi demitod tho office of the Chiof Election Commissioner * * of India after adorning it for more than "ih. years, * This period uas momentous in more senses than one, # It goos to the credit of his sagacity, expertise and * great administrative skill that ho uas able to conduct * the elections in Assam/and Punjab inspito of heavy * odds, * * * During his tenure, ho conducted Presidential * # Election in 3uly,1982, Nagaland Assembly election in November,1982 elections to Legislative Assemblies of ffndhra Pradesh, Assam, 3ammu & Kashmir, Karnataka Meghalaya, Tripura and Delhi in 1983, elections * * to tho Lok Sabha and to the Assemblies of 2 States * # and 2 Union T e r r i t o r i e s in 1984 and election to 11 * # States and 1 Union Territory in 1^3^^1,1985, Punjab * # election in September,1985 and Assam election in # December,1985 and a number of byo-elections. # bereaved on two occasions, once when he lost his wife * on 27th October,1982 and on the second occasion when * he lost his mother on tho 30th December,1985. * # Ho uas Ho never * allowed those personal losses to come in the way of his # official functioning. Ho uas to havo chaired the * open session of the Conference of tho Chief * Officers Electoral on the 30th December,1985 uhen his nother * it * expired. Ho did not uant tho Conference to bo cancelled # but decided it to be continued, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * - * * * * * * • * " ~ « « - - 163 - - * I t was the einnul^r good furtuno of the Election Commission chi't wo had some of tho most eminent personaqo3o ~ . Shri Trivodi was born on the 1st Danuary, 1921 in Myingyan, Burma and was educated at the ^ # # # Rangoon and Lucknou Universities. Ho had a consistently ^ >b r i l l i a n t academic record throughout'1, Ho joined the * * * Civil Service on 14th Duly,1943.. Before becoming tho * Chief Election Commissioner, ho had hold a number of * important posts both at tho Centre and in tho States * of Uttar Pradesh and Fladhya Pradesh. * * * •* Ho had varied * experience in the fields of Planning and Development, * * Financial Administration, Education, ^anagomcRt of * Public Enterprises and Personnel Administration. * Ho was a membor of Governor's Advisory Council tuico * during the President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh in 1968 ' . * and 1970. * * * * * Ho was also advisor to tho Governor of * Nadhya Pradesh in 1980. Ho had functioned as tho * * V/ico-Principal of I.A.S. Ttoininq School and later at * the National Academy of Administration and also as * Vice Chancellor, Bundclkhand University at Dhansi, * ^ Ho was Vigilance Commissioner from October,1980 u n t i l * * 18.6,1982 when he took over as Chief Election ^ Commissioner. During his stewardship of tho Central * * ^ Uigilanco Commission, he had introduced several * ^ innovating measure to curb corruption in the public * services* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * • * # • * • • * * • * • • * • # # * * ,i * * # * * • * /*• * * «• ft- * * * * »«• •* •* „ - 164 * During his tenure as Chief ElGction Commissioner, * * ho had recommended a onckago of proposals for d o c t o r a l * ^reforms which covered a wide spectrum of subjects * * * * * * * * * it couorino amendments to the Constitution, tho Representation* * of tho People Act,1950 and 1951 and tho rules made * * ^.thereunder. It is gratifying to noto that tus of tho * ^.major rccommoBdations i»e» Ban on Defection and Company * * * • • • ' • ' ^.Donations to P o l i t i c a l Parties have been accepted by * ' tho Govto and necessary legislation enacted. The thrust * * * * * •#• *of* his rocommondati-ns uas aimed at curbinq tho * - * * * pernicious influence of money pouor & muscle pouor. * ^ He uas crudity, wall-road and scholarly. Ho uas *a good speaker both in English and Hindi, He uas * magnanimous in his dealings nnd novor lost an opportunity shouer fulsome praises on good * doods accomplished by *his j u n i o r s . All of us in the Election Commission and in tho ^various Chief Electoral Officers* Offices wish him * * ^godspeed, and a long, hoa Itfay and usofdl lifo in tho service ^of humanity and tho nation. * ••• ^ * x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X . X X X X X X X . H I N D I S E C T I O N X X X X X X X X X X X X X X- X X X X X X h X' X X X X:! X .*. x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x-*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*. 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