| The BJP today demanded early elections in Karnataka and went to the Election Commission to put on record its apprehension that the central government had notified the report of the delimitation commission to extend president’s rule in the state.
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| In a memorandum to the EC by senior party leaders Arun Jaitley, Yashwant Sinha, Ananth Kumar and Karnataka unit chief Sadananda Gowda, the party cited statutory and Constitutional provisions which allow elections under the present territorial groupings if it was felt that notifying new polling booths would take time.
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| The party, however, made a stronger case while urging the Election Commission to complete the notification exercise in Karnataka and hold polls before May.
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| “There is an apprehension that the commission may not be able to conduct the polls before end-May once the presidential notification of the date is issued for making the delimitation orders operational,” said the memorandum.
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| “In Karnataka, by and large, all Assembly constituencies are sited within the same district. It is, therefore, possible to empower deputy commissioners to restructure the polling booths and allocate the electoral rolls for the ACs falling within his jurisdiction. All the ground work can thus be compressed within a short time frame and the framework kept ready for completing the polls before end May 2008,” they added.
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| “The BJP is totally opposed to the extension of president’s rule in Karnataka, based on specious procedural grounds of the commission not being in a position to complete the procedural work. We earnestly hope the commission will rise to the occasion and find administrative solutions for resolving this problem. The party assures the commission for all help and assistance that may be required in making this possible,” said the memorandum.
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| The Congress and the Janata Dal(S), the two other parties with stakes in the state, have favoured delayed elections. |
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