 "Polls over, states seek relaxation in code of conduct for smooth administration")
Taking a cue from the Karnataka government, the state government in Kerala has also appealed to the Election Commission (EC) for relaxing the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) as polling is over in the state.
The Congress-led government in Maharashtra would also approach the EC with a plea to relax the MCC, after the third leg of polling is over on April 24 in the state (polling had earlier been held in the state on April 10 and 17). Maharashtra Chief Secretary J S Saharia would soon send a communication to the EC, seeking relaxation of the MCC.
The Maharashtra government strongly feels that it won’t be able to carry out a slew of development projects and take policy decisions if the MCC continues till the last national polling day slated for May 12.
The EC gave the go-ahead for relaxing the MCC in Karnataka on Monday evening. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anil Kumar Jha received the EC’s permission on Tuesday, and the relaxation came into effect on the same day.
In its directive to the Karnataka government, the EC said that ministers could now accompany officers other than those on election duty, and review the implementation of ongoing programmes on the field. They could convene review meetings of officers at district headquarters, except for those officers who were on election duty. The relaxation, however, would not apply in constituencies if any re-polling was pending (no re-polling has been ordered in the state as on date). Polling for the Lok Sabha elections was held in Karnataka on April 17.
The EC’s move came after Chief Secretary to the Karnataka government, Kaushik Mukherjee made a requisition to Election Commissioner H S Brahma on Monday to relax the MCC in the state.
A week ago, the government of Kerala, where Lok Sabha polls were held on April 10, had sought the EC’s nod for the relaxation in the MCC for the smooth conduct of administrative affairs of the state.
“The MCC is still very much in place in Kerala, although some relaxations have been made,” an official from the state CEO’s office told Business Standard over the phone from Thiruvananthapuram. He, however, refused to divulge what exactly the relaxations were.
“The government has already announced a Rs 4,000 crore package for the hailstorm-hit villages in over 28 districts and distributed cheques worth Rs 1,800 crore. Some more villages last week were affected by hailstorms and untimely rains. Further relief and rehabilitation works need to be implemented on a priority. If the code of conduct is relaxed, these works will be expedited,” a senior government official told Business Standard.
This apart, the official said some villages from the regions of Marathwada, north Maharashtra and Konkan are facing acute water shortage. “If the code of conduct continues, the government will have to make a fresh plea to conduct on-the-field surveys and subsequently distribute the aid. However, it will be quite easy for the administration to do it quickly if the code of conduct is relaxed from April 25,” the official noted.
Another official said that with the Maharashtra Assembly elections slated for October, the state government needs to take a slew of policy decisions with regard to infrastructure and social sector projects. Moreover, the awarding of compensation for land acquired by various state undertakings is to be announced.
The Maharashtra government is under tremendous pressure to provide reservation in jobs and education to the Maratha and Muslim communities. Besides, the government proposes to bring out a new toll policy. It had planned to take a decision in this regard, but failed to do so as the poll schedule was announced on March 5.
The Congress-led government in Maharashtra would also approach the EC with a plea to relax the MCC, after the third leg of polling is over on April 24 in the state (polling had earlier been held in the state on April 10 and 17). Maharashtra Chief Secretary J S Saharia would soon send a communication to the EC, seeking relaxation of the MCC.
The Maharashtra government strongly feels that it won’t be able to carry out a slew of development projects and take policy decisions if the MCC continues till the last national polling day slated for May 12.
The EC gave the go-ahead for relaxing the MCC in Karnataka on Monday evening. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anil Kumar Jha received the EC’s permission on Tuesday, and the relaxation came into effect on the same day.
In its directive to the Karnataka government, the EC said that ministers could now accompany officers other than those on election duty, and review the implementation of ongoing programmes on the field. They could convene review meetings of officers at district headquarters, except for those officers who were on election duty. The relaxation, however, would not apply in constituencies if any re-polling was pending (no re-polling has been ordered in the state as on date). Polling for the Lok Sabha elections was held in Karnataka on April 17.
The EC’s move came after Chief Secretary to the Karnataka government, Kaushik Mukherjee made a requisition to Election Commissioner H S Brahma on Monday to relax the MCC in the state.
A week ago, the government of Kerala, where Lok Sabha polls were held on April 10, had sought the EC’s nod for the relaxation in the MCC for the smooth conduct of administrative affairs of the state.
“The MCC is still very much in place in Kerala, although some relaxations have been made,” an official from the state CEO’s office told Business Standard over the phone from Thiruvananthapuram. He, however, refused to divulge what exactly the relaxations were.
“The government has already announced a Rs 4,000 crore package for the hailstorm-hit villages in over 28 districts and distributed cheques worth Rs 1,800 crore. Some more villages last week were affected by hailstorms and untimely rains. Further relief and rehabilitation works need to be implemented on a priority. If the code of conduct is relaxed, these works will be expedited,” a senior government official told Business Standard.
This apart, the official said some villages from the regions of Marathwada, north Maharashtra and Konkan are facing acute water shortage. “If the code of conduct continues, the government will have to make a fresh plea to conduct on-the-field surveys and subsequently distribute the aid. However, it will be quite easy for the administration to do it quickly if the code of conduct is relaxed from April 25,” the official noted.
Another official said that with the Maharashtra Assembly elections slated for October, the state government needs to take a slew of policy decisions with regard to infrastructure and social sector projects. Moreover, the awarding of compensation for land acquired by various state undertakings is to be announced.
The Maharashtra government is under tremendous pressure to provide reservation in jobs and education to the Maratha and Muslim communities. Besides, the government proposes to bring out a new toll policy. It had planned to take a decision in this regard, but failed to do so as the poll schedule was announced on March 5.
With inputs from Rajat Ghai in New Delhi