All-party meet to evolve consensus on poll-code today

All-party meet to evolve consensus on poll-code today
UNITED NEWS OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, SEPT 15: An all-party meeting has been convened by the Election Commission here tomorrow to thrash out the contentious issue of the date from which the model code of conduct should come into force - the announcement of the poll schedule or its formal notification.

While the Election Commission stand, upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, is that the code comes into effect from the date the poll schedule is announced, the Centre has contested this view.

In 1997, the National Front government moved the Supreme Court against the Punjab and Haryana High Court judgement, contending that the code should become effective when the polls are notified. The present government has continued to maintain the special leave petition in the apex court.

Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill, expressing optimism that tomorrow's meeting would help thrash out a consensus, has observed that the model code of conduct was not evolved by the Commission unilaterally.

The code was the result of a consensus of all political parties to ensure a level-playing field for them. Its implementation was necessary for the conduct of free and fair elections and to ensure that no political party, particularly the party in power, gets an unfair advantage by virtue of its being in power at the time of election, he said.

The all-party meeting is to be attended by senior leaders of major national and state parties. While the code of conduct is the major issue on which the meeting has been convened, any other subject raised by a party could also be discussed, commission sources said.