Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 1: Congress party has strongly opposed the election commission for postponing the date from which the election code of conduct will come into effect relating to bypoll being held in the state.

A delegation of the Congress led by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao, submitted a petition urging the election commission to bring into force election code of conduct immediately to stop the state government from influencing the voters and to avoid election-related wrongdoings.

Speaking to media persons after handing over the petition to the chief electoral officer of Karnataka, Dinesh Gundu Rao said that his party is not happy with certain things with which the commission was involved. He noted that the commission, in spite of the fact that the Supreme Court had not sought its reaction, on its own appeared before the court and said that it does not have any objection to the disqualified legislators contesting for the Karnataka bypoll. However, he said his party has no problem with the postponement of the election date.

He noted that although the new bypoll date has been announced now, the model code of conduct has not been enforced, and that the commission has said that the election code of conduct would be effective from November 11. He said that these things go to prove that the commission is following the diktats of the union government.

He argued that under all cases, as soon as election date is announced, code of conduct should be enforced. He accused the commission of helping the state government to influence the voters by postponing election code of conduct. He asked the commission to change its stand and enforce code of conduct immediately, duly warning that a strong protest would be organized if it fails to do so.

He said that the commission had issued bypoll notification on September that election would be held on October 21, and that some people had filed nomination papers the same day. However, the bypoll has been postponed and new date has been announced. But the commission's initiative in postponing model of conduct enforcement is illegal, he felt.