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Kerala govt and poll panel on collision course

Trivandrum - The government had on Monday asked the commission to defer the polls by one month so that elections could be held in all the local bodies, including the 28 newly constituted municipalities.

The simmering confrontation between the Kerala government and the State Election Commission has deepened on Tuesday with the former deciding to go to the high court against the poll panel's decision to conduct the local body polls in October based on the 2010 delimitation.
The government had on Monday asked the commission to defer the polls by one month so that elections could be held in all the local bodies, including the 28 newly constituted municipalities.
The poll panel had rejected the plea saying that it would create legal complications.
The state cabinet that discussed the commission's decision at its meeting here on Tuesday decided to take the issue to the high court which is scheduled to take up the appeals filed by the state government against a single bench judge's order quashing formation of new panchayats (village councils) for hearing on September 3.
The cabinet has asked the advocate-general to submit an affidavit pointing out the legal issues involved in excluding the new municipalities, which were approved by the court, from the electoral process to the division bench that is considering the appeals.
The cabinet has suggested the elections in November so that the new local bodies can take charge on December 1.
The commission came under severe criticism from various ministers at the cabinet meeting. The ministers belonging to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second largest constituent of the UDF, accused the commission of taking an obstinate over holding elections in the new municipalities.
They pointed out that this would affect the development in the areas brought under the municipalities. The new urban bodies will also be able to attract considerable federal funds if new elected councils take charge of the governance.
Election Commissioner K Sasidharan Nair had called a Press conference to reply to the criticisms from the ministers. However, the commissioner cancelled the Press meet following legal advice.
Sources at the commission said that the commission will now meet the media only after the high court consider the government plea for extending the poll by one month.
However, the opposition parties came to the rescue of the commission, accusing the government of intimidating the commission. Leader of opposition V S Achuthanandan said that the government was trying to torpedo the election by threatening the election commission.
news@khaleejtimes.com