6 years ago
New Delhi:
The Election Commission will meet today to discuss early polls in Telangana after the assembly was dissolved by the state cabinet, headed by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. The poll panel will reportedly examine the possibility of holding elections in the state along with other states going to polls by December.
Telangana was scheduled to go to polls in June next year, but yesterday, after days of hinting at such a step, Chief Minister KCR asked the Governor to dissolve the assembly. The move is seen as an effort to keep the Telangana Rashtra Samiti's vote base intact and avoid a clash with the Lok Sabha polls which is also scheduled for the middle of next year.
Here are the live updates on the decision on early polls in Telangana:
"No decision will be taken today on polls. We will be sending our teams and meeting the Chief Electoral Officer in Telangana for a final decision," Mr Rawat told NDTV
The poll panel will look at holding simultaneous elections and see if it the early polls can be done with the other four states going to polls, he said
The CEC tells NDTV that revision of rolls ar required and the poll panel might have to give an opportunity to all parties for proper revision of rolls
As a referee, the poll panel will be attacked on both sides for whatever decision it takes, the CEC said
The Chief Election Commissioner says the poll panel is mandated by the top court to conduct elections at the earliest possible date without any delay
OP Rawat says KCR's comments on elections are preposterous and uncalled for, adding that the Telangana chief minister should have refrained from making them
Read NDTV's 10-point cheat-sheet on this big story here
Keeping in mind these rulings, legal framework and ground realities in Telangana, the commission will decide on the elections there, Mr Rawat said
"In 2002, the Supreme Court said that a caretaker government should not be given more than six months in charge by the Election Commission, and also said that in case of dissolution, the election should be held on the first occasion": OP Rawat
"The assembly was dissolved suddenly so we have asked the Chief Electoral Officer there for a report on their level of preparedness, what work they still have to do and the time frame they need to be ready for the election, so that the poll panel can keep it in mind and assess the time frame to hold elections within the legal framework," Mr Rawat said
"Elections must be held on the first occasion," Mr Rawat said.
Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said that the poll panel follows legal framework to deliver free, fair and credible elections.
Sources have told news agency ANI that it is not necessary that elections in Telangana will be held along with the other four states at the end of the year
The Election Commission meeting has been rescheduled for 4:30 pm
While the BJP and TRS have both denied any possibility of a tie up with each other, sources say that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao could not have gone ahead with dissolving the assembly without the nod from BJP leadership. KCR's recent meetings with PM Modi have only fuelled speculations further.
While Chief Minister KCR cited "political fragility" in the state as a reason for wanting early polls, sources close to him say he wants to ensure that the focus during the state polls is on his role and his government's achievements, rather than on Prime Minister Narendra Modi
K Chandrashekhar Rao met Governor ESL Narsimhan yesterday and submitted his government's recommendation for dissolving the Telangana Assembly.
Asked about the possibility of elections by the end of the year, the official said, "Issues like festivals, examinations and weather conditions will be discussed before arriving at a final conclusion."
The Election Commission meets every Tuesday and Friday to discuss a variety of issues
The Election Commission will meet at noon today to discuss the early elections in Telangana
The Congress party yesterday indicated that state-level elections in Telangana may not be possible before next year.
The BJP has ruled out the possibility of any tie up with the ruling party in the state, with a BJP leader telling NDTV that it would be a triangular contest, where the BJP will contest all 117 seats.
The Telangana chief minister, popularly known as KCR, announced the names of 100 candidates yesterday. He will formally launch the party's election campaign with a public meeting at Husnabad in Siddipet district on Friay. This will be the first of 100 public meetings planned by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti over the next 50 days
