Amid reports of the possibility of preponing the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner of India Om Prakash Rawat on Saturday said the commission would abide by the law and can issue a notification for election to any house “not before six months” of the expiry of that house.

“Law says the Election Commission can issue notification for election to any house not before six months before the expiry of that house. That is the legal binding on the Election Commission,” he said at an interactive session organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce (MCC).

Rawat also said the Commission is the authority to decide the schedule for elections.

When asked whether the Commission has received any suggestion regarding preponing of the 2019 General Election, he said: “Absolutely not. The Election Commission will go by the law. I have explained the law… If the law requires that within six months you have to hold elections, you have to hold.

“Responding to a query on the idea of simultaneous elections. The Election Commission was asked about this idea in 2015. The commission gave all the suggestions to the government. It requires changes in constitution and also changes in law. Logistic support will also be required. We gave suggestion to the government. After that, we are not aware (of it). Recently, law commission met the Election Commission.”

Ruling out any possibility of bringing back ballot papers for elections, he said, since July 2017, the commission conveyed in an all party meeting that all elections henceforth would be conducted with EVMs coupled with VVPATs.

“There is absolutely nothing about the integrity of the system… However, time and again there are eruptions on this, we clarify the issue,” he said.

Speaking on electoral bonds, he said the Commission is gathering facts and information to crystallise its view on this.

“As soon as we complete this, we will be communicating to government and will put its views on public domain,” Rawat added.

Senior leaders from the Congress in Kerala have been summoned to Delhi to meet party President Rahul Gandhi next week to decide the new state chief.

A top Congress leader told IANS that they will meet Gandhi on June 6 and 7.

Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, present party President M.M. Hassan, among others, are expected to meet the Congress President.

The meeting assumes significance after the massive election debacle that the party suffered in the Chengannur bye-election, which the CPI-M candidate won.

Among the front runners for the post of the state President are Lok Sabha member Mullapally Ramachandran, former state Minister and previous Lok Sabha member from Kannur, K.Sudhakaran, present Lok Sabha members K.V. Thomas and Kodikunnil Suresh.

Another post likely to be discussed is of the United Democratic Front Convenor which is presently held by Congress leader P.P. Thankachen.

ith a combined opposition having defeated the BJP in Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana Lok Sabha and some other bypolls, the Congress has decided to step up efforts to prevent division of anti-BJP votes by seeking to identify the strongest candidate in each seat in the forthcoming electoral contests.

Party sources said the informal talks are underway to find a common ground with opposition parties even as the party has embarked on the process to identify candidates in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

According to the sources, committees are likely to be formed in every state to identify the strongest candidate of the united opposition in each constituency in forthcoming elections and the strategy will differ from state to state.

A party leader said the Congress has to be more “accomodative” in seat sharing.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the main objective in the upcoming elections will be to prevent vote division of the anti-BJP votes.

“There is no one-size-fits all approach at all. There is no blanket approach at all. The basic objective remains the same whether it is this part or that part of the country.

“Whether you call it a formal alliance or strategic seat adjustment, or you call it understandings, the basic objective everywhere, whether it is bi-polar states or triangular or quadrangular states, is to prevent vote division of the anti-BJP votes. This is what the BJP is terrified about,” he said.

“This is what you have seen in every election from Uttar Pradesh to Karnataka or any other states. BJP has benefitted from division of votes. But how we will do it, what we will do, you will find it on a state-to-state basis.

“You may find state X may differ from state Y, but it will be achieving that one single object of prevention of vote division,” he added.

On Samajwadi Party saying the opposition parties should field a common candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi in 2019 election, Singhvi said: “Too early days as yet, but I do not see any reason to doubt the principle and the spirit to what has been said.”

“I do not want to go in to the details. It is early but you must read the spirit. I think it is the spirit. I am not talking about the names. I am talking spirit behind it,” he added.

In a surprise development, Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday called on software major Infosys’ co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy and sought his expertise in improving the city’s woeful infrastructure.

“I went to Murthy’s house in the city and sought his guidance on forming an expert committee to study Bengaluru’s infrastructure issues, including waste management,” said Kumaraswamy in a statement here.

The committee, to be headed by the Chief Minister, will meet once in two months to review the progress on infrastructure development and smart waste management.

“Murthy will submit the report on the infrastructure development of Bengaluru, waste disposal system and what more the state government has to do for the next phase of the IT industry growth,” said the statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.

Appreciating Kumaraswamy for seeking his help, Murthy said he would submit the plan in two months with suggestions.

“I have been following Kumaraswamy’s activities even before he became Chief Minister for the second time a week ago. I appreciate his concern for the welfare of society, especially farmers, as evident from his visit to Israel to learn about farming techniques that could be replicated in the state,” said Murthy in the statement.

He also advised the Chief Minister to involve the non-government organisations in the development of the city, its infrastructure, civic amenities and facilities.

Infosys and its rival Wipro are the iconic brands that have put Bengaluru on the world map by setting up the largest software development centres and hiring thousands of techies to write codes for global corporations.

The Congress said on Friday that it will battle the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Karnataka together with Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

“It has been chosen that Congress and JD-S will battle the following Lok Sabha decisions as pre-election partners,” Congress General Secretary K. C. Venugopal told journalists here within the sight of Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy.

Venugopal said the correct appropriation of seats will be worked out later.

The declaration, coming a day after the joint opposition defeated the BJP in the Kairana Lok Sabha by-poll in Uttar Pradesh, is being viewed as a stage forward in endeavors among opposition parties for coordinated battle against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Ten days after coming to power, the JDS-Congress ministry in Karnataka is set to be expanded on June 6, as the two parties reached a power sharing arrangement after intense haggling and announced their decision to fight the Lok Sabha polls as pre-poll allies.

Capping protracted hard bargaining with Congress top central leadership stepping in, the two parties voiced their “firm resolve” to ensure that the coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy would complete its full five-year term. The Congress has conceded the plum Finance portfolio to its junior partner, resolving a thorny issue, after its president Rahul Gandhi intervened and spoke to Kumaraswamy.

“Little bit of issues came in the form of finance portfolio. Lastly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi himself gave directions to us..that this coalition government is the need of the hour of the country,” Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said.

Venugopal said, …”Finally Congress decided to give finance portfolio to JDS, as per the direction of Rahul Gandhi,” as he read out a joint statement signed by him and JDS secretary general Danish Ali at a press conference here.

Kumaraswamy, his predecessor Siddaramaiah and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were present. As per the power sharing agreement, the Congress would get the portfolios of Home, Irrigation, Bangalore City Development, Industry and Sugar Industry, Health, Revenue, Urban Development;

Rural Development, Agriculture, Housing, Social Welfare, Forest and Environment, Labour, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Science and Technology and IT/BT, among others. The JDS’s portfolios include, Finance, Excise, Information, Intelligence, Public Works Department, Power, Cooperation, Tourism, Education and Transport.

Energy portfolio had also emerged as a sticky point in the negotiations, with state senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who was the key person who kept the Congress flock together during the political drama, reportedly keen on it. The rest of the portfolios would be decided by the chief minister in consultation with the deputy chief minister, Venugopal said. The ministry would be expanded on June 6, Kumaraswamy said.

Kumaraswamy said he and deputy chief minister G Parameshwara met the Governor Vajubhai Vala and asked for his time for the swearing-in but due to his prior engagement in Delhi from June 3 to 5th evening, “ultimately he has given the time for Wednesday 2 pm.”

It had also been decided that the Congress and JDS would fight the next Lok Sabha elections as pre-poll allies, the joint statement said, adding, the exact distribution of seats would be worked out and announced later. JDS and Congress had stitched up a post-poll alliance at the state level after the recent assembly polls yielded a fractured mandate with BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 members, falling short of the required numbers.

The assembly polls had resulted in a hung assembly, the joint statement said, adding, in this background, the Congress and JDS had come together to form a coalition government in the state. “Over half the electorate voted for our two parties taken together,” it said.

A common agenda for governance based on the manifesto of both the parties would be prepared and presented to the people of the state at the earliest, the statement said. The two parties also announced a coalition Coordination and Monitoring Committee which would meet at least one in a month. The committee comprises Kumaraswamy, Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah, Venugopal and Danish Ali.

Siddaramaiah would be the chairman and Ali the convenor of the coalition Coordination and Monitoring Committee. Under the agreement, all appointments to statutory boards and corporations would be cleared by the coordination committee. Two-thirds of the posts will be Congress appointees and one-third JDS.

The two coalition partners also resolved to provide a transparent, accountable and responsive administration, giving the highest priority to farmers, youth and women, to ensuring economic growth in all regions of the state and to promoting social justice and communal harmony.

“The coalition government will be for all sections of Karnataka society,” the statement said. Kumaraswamy was sworn in as chief minister on May 23. Two days later on May 25, he proved the majority on the floor of the assembly. BJP had conceded the numbers game with B S Yeddyurappa resigning on May 19 without facing the trust vote.

Telangana is celebrating its fourth formation day today (June 02). The state was formed on this day in 2014 following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao took salute at a ceremonial parade on the Secunderabad Parade Grounds this morning. The state ministers are taking part in the district-level celebrations.

Areas like power, irrigation, drinking water supply and agriculture have been the prime focus of the Government during the past 4 years.

All government buildings in the Hyderabad and across the state have been decorated to mark the day. Several cultural and social events have been lined up across the state.

Telangana was carved out from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh as the 29th state in the country, after a long struggle for the statehood on the same day in 2014. Telangana gained fame as one of the fastest growing and surplus state economies in the country.

However, certain areas like employment generation still remained as a point of concern.

Meanwhile, Constitutional buildings, government offices, historical monuments and public places have been decked up beautifully. A number of cultural, sports and social events have been lined up in the state capital Hyderabad and also in districts as part of the celebrations.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

Congress and JD(S) are likely to announce a power-sharing deal for their coalition government in Karnataka on Friday, with unambiguous reiteration that H D Kumaraswamy will be chief minister for the full term and the two parties will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together.
Contrary to speculation, the protracted negotiations were focussed not just on ministerial portfolios to be apportioned between the two partners but also on other dimensions — setting up a coordination committee, common minimum programme and stability of the government, as reported by TOI in an interview with Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot on Thursday.
Among key portfolios, finance will go to JD(S) while the home department will be run by Congress.
JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali told That, “The announcement will be a written agreement resolving all issues to run a stable coalition for five years. That is why it has taken so long. We wanted everything to be on paper so that the government could run smoothly for its full term under the chief ministership of H D Kumaraswamy.”