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Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti on 23 October defended the EC’s decision to hold Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh earlier than Gujarat, by saying that the state election commission and political parties had requested for the same owing to weather conditions in the state.
Speaking to ANI, the CEC said that the likelihood of snowfall in Himachal Pradesh in the latter half of November and flood relief work in Gujarat had played a role in the EC’s decision.
He added that the EC will ensure that the dates for the Gujarat polls will be scheduled in such a way that the “outcome of the rest should not affect voting in Gujarat”.
He cited the memorandum issued by the Ministry of Law in 2001 and said that the dates will be announced “not more than three weeks prior to the date on which the notification is issued”, with regard to elections.
Joti added that the restoration work being carried out by government employees in Gujarat was also the reason for different poll dates.
He said that as many as 26,443 state government employees will be assigned election-related duties and this will result in them abandoning restoration work.
In July 2017, 200 people lost their lives in Gujarat due to incessant rains and flooding.
(With inputs from ANI)
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