After two days of holding consultations with almost all the parties and hearing their views, the Commission has decided that such a meeting is necessary to enable the parties to air their views.

"But we will take our decision on when to hold the elections to ensure that the polls are conducted in good time", Chief Election Commissioner, M S Gill.

Once again the CEC has put forward a proposal for a neutral administration for holding the polls, with state Governors and all major functionaries running the administration. Gill had made this suggestion before the last assembly elections in November but it had not found much support among political parties.

Describing the move to install neutral administrations before any election as the "mother of all reforms", Gill said politicians hadobjectd to the move saying that all governors are not neutral.

The CEC was addressing the annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here which was attended by captains of industry, top-level CEOs and policy makers.

Dwelling at length on the emerging political trends, Gill said the days when a single political party would sweep the polls and form a majority government, were long gone. Coalition governments were here to stay, so political parties should reach agreement on a common minimum programme well in advance of the polls.

He pointed to the coalition governments in West Bengal, which comprised several different parties with a common agenda and which had completed more than two decades in office.

But it was clearly the timing of the polls that was foremost on Gill's mind. Since yesterday, Gill has seen a retinue of political leaders, each putting forward their viewpoint on the poll dates.

The ruling alliance which has been insisting on early polls showed signs of softening itshard line with Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan saying it is the prerogative of the Election Commission to decide on the dates for the polls.

Mahajan said the BJP's only anxiety was that the government should have legitimacy and it did not matter whether elections were held in June or September.

Meanwhile, the EC held its first preliminary discussions with the Home Ministry on the conduct of mid-term elections with Home secretary B P Singh, Gill and his two colleagues, G V G Krishnamurty and J M Lyngdoh, covering security issues like the deployment of paramilitary forces.

Samajwadi party leader, Amar Singh, Telugu Desam Party leader K Yerrannaidu and Biju Janata Dal Chief Naveen Patnaik were among those who had separate meetings with the Chief Election Commissioner today.