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| Manifestos of political parties ? | | 2014 Assembly elections in J&K and ECI | | Neha
JAMMU, July 3 : Elections to the J&K Legislative Assembly are not far away. Electoral exercise could be organized anytime between October and December because the new government has to be in place on or before January 5, 2015. There are reports that the assembly elections could be held in J&K, along with Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi.
The elections in the first two states are due in October. It is obvious that the time at the disposal of political parties in J&K is limited. Reports on Wednesday suggested that all the political parties in J&K are busy these days in giving final touches to their respective election manifestos. Those preparing the manifestos will surely make them attractive to influence the voters' opinion. There are also reports that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has urged all the political parties to submit copies of their election manifestos to it for scrutiny. This step is being taken to ensure that no political party violates the model code of conduct, which will come into force in the next few weeks.
As for J&K, the ECI has directed the state government not to shift the present incumbents holding the position of district magistrate to other districts and said the prior approval of the ECI is essential in case the state government wants to transfer any of the officials who are supposed to deal with election-related matters.
Not only this, certain categories of officials, who are also associated with the election-related work, will also be not transferred until the election process is over. Fair enough. This step of the ECI would go a long way in ensuring a free and fair poll in the state. However, this step is just not enough. The ECI has also to ensure that no political party includes in its election manifesto any controversial promise or commitment that has the potential of arousing anti-India or communal feelings.
There are parties in the state who have reportedly planned to contest election on emotive and divisive issues. A report on Wednesday said that the NC has - apart from taking a decision to rake up the issue of autonomy - planned to demand revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) under which the security forces involved in the ongoing anti-insurgency operations in the state enjoy a legal immunity. Clearly, the intentions of the NC are not pious. The duty of the ECI is not only to organize elections but also to see to it that no political party holds out a promise that is outside the confines of the Indian Constitution as well as the State Constitution. One can only hope and pray that the ECI would measure up to the people's expectation and act in the best interest of the people of the state and the country as a whole. |
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