Kerala RS Election: Meeting with ECI

Date: 
Friday, March 26, 2021

Polit Bureau Member, Nilotpal Basu, Meets Election Commission on holding in Abeyance Elections to Three RS Seats from Kerala.

Nilotpal Basu, member of the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) met members of the Election Commission, except for the CEC, Shri Sunil Arora, who was not in town.

On behalf of the Party, issues were pointedly raised in the letter released yesterday. The members of the Commission tried to explain that the decision of the Commission as stated in their press note of March 24, should not be construed as putting the entire process in abeyance but was limited to clarifying the reference by the government.

In response, it was pointed out that, in that case, it is a bilateral matter between the government and the Commission. However, the press note gives a distinct impression that the independence of the Election Commission has been compromised and the government’s reference and the ECI taking cognisance of this casts doubts on the continuation of the election process which was set in motion through ECI’s notification of March 17.

Basu also pointed out that in case the Commission has not put the entire process in abeyance it should specifically clarify this position publicly and also disclose the details of the reference by the government. The Commission assured to consider the matter carefully.