BJP doubts SEC’s ability to ensure fair polls
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
By A Special Correspondent
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday raised serious doubts over State Election Commission's (SEC) ability to conduct free and fair polls to the
10 Municipal Corporation on February 16. Speaking to newspersons here, party national secretary, Dr Kirit Somaiya said that the party has serious doubts over whether or not the SEC will take action in the sudden transfer of commissioner of Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) when the polls are on.
Besides this, despite 12 hours having passed after large amounts of cash were found in a car which was part of Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan's convoy in Amravati, no action has been taken as yet. If that is not enough a mysterious anonymous appeal issued by NCP-Congress alliance candidate Uttam Gite from South Mumbai contains names of prominent BJP office bearers. Somaiya stated that most of the 80-odd prominent personalities of South Mumbai are BJP workers and were not aware of their names and photographs being printed in the appeal.
Somaiya stated that the Congress-NCP alliance had in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections had issued similar malicious appeal in the name of BJP MLA's Prakash Mehta & Sardar Tara Singh stating that the duo had supported the candidature of NCPs Sanjay Patil. The BJP leader added that the attention of the SEC was drawn to the fact that 24 NCP workers had then been arrested in 2009 and that the case is now pending before the Supreme Court. Somaiya demanded that the SEC take strict action against Congress-NCP workers in the Gite case also.
The BJP leader disclosed that in Nashik NCP’s Public Works minister, Chhagan Bhujbal was unable to transfer the municipal commissioner for the last 6 months, and all of a sudden he gets transferred even as the poll process is on.
Commenting upon CM Prithviraj Chavan demanding the lodging of poll code violation case against media houses for publishing Intelligence agency reports about Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI-A alliance getting substantial seats, Somaiya wanted to know whether Chavan would also make a similar demand in respect of Nashik where opinion polls predict just 2 seats for the BJP.
Somaiya also demanded that both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Central Government declare holiday for their staff on February 16 so that they can cast their vote in the civic elections.