EC accepts parties' demand, defers Punjab Assembly polls by 6 days

Earlier date of February 14 clashed with Guru Ravidas Jayanti celebrations

Accepting a demand by the state government and various political parties, the Election Commission (EC), on Monday, decided to hold the single-phase assembly polls in Punjab on February 20 instead of February 14 in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti.

Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, BJP and its allies, the BSP and other organisations had urged the poll panel to postpone the date of voting as lakhs of followers of Guru Ravidas travel to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to celebrate his birth anniversary on February 16.

In a statement, the Commission said polls would now be held on February 20. It coincides with the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh.

The parties had said that several followers of Guru Ravidas would not be able to exercise their franchise on February 14 as they would be travelling for the festivities.

Sources in the poll panel said there have been precedents when the EC had rescheduled assembly polls and bypolls after announcing the election schedule.

In October 2013, the EC had tweaked certain dates for the assembly polls in Mizoram to be held in November 2013.

A bye-election, again in Mizoram, in April 2014 was rescheduled and the date of phase one of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections was changed in March 2012 due to similar reasons, including religious beliefs of voters and the then prevailing law and order situation.

The EC statement said that after consideration of all facts made available, it had announced the schedule for Punjab assembly polls on January 8 under which notification for the election was to be issued on January 21.

According to the earlier schedule, single-phase polls in Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa were to be held together on February 14. It noted that the EC  has received several  epresentations from the state government, political parties and other organisations drawing attention towards the movement of a large number of devotees from Punjab to Varanasi for Guru Ravidas Jayanti celebrations on February 16.