NEW DELHI, June 23: With no end in sight to the impasse over the Janata Dal's attempts to hold party elections, the Election Commission today threatened to ``derecognise'' the office-bearers of the Dal.

Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill today said if the Dal failed to hold organisational polls by the July 3 deadline set by the Supreme Court, the Commission will have to resort to the same measures as had been applied to the Congress last month.

Describing the completion of internal polls by the remaining 45 recognised political parties in the country as a ``gain to our democracy'', Gill emphasised that the Commission did not want to undermine this process as a result of the ``continuing negative situation in the Janata Dal.''

``The Commission's policy applied to the Congress will be examined and applied to the Janata Dal, if the party does not work out a method for the completion of the organisational elections by July 3 as directed by the apex court,'' Gill said.

When internal polls in the Congress were delayed and the party unilaterally decided to hold the elections by July 15, the EC had issued a show cause notice to the office-bearers of the Congress saying the Commission will cease to accept, entertain or honour any communication from them, in effect derecognise them, from the May 31 deadline.

The tough position taken by the Commission brought the Congress in line. Senior Congress leaders pleaded with the EC and a new deadline of June 15 was set as a ``special case.''

According to Nirvachan Sadan officials, the Commission's concerns over inner party functioning of the Janata Dal stem from the fact that the Dal has not held elections since its inception in 1989.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.