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Govt reiterates commitment to electoral reforms

Union Law Minister M Thambidurai today reiterated the Centre's commitment to bring in electoral reforms soon and announced that legislation for constituting a special court to deal with muscle and money power was on the anvil.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, he said electoral reforms relating to the expenses, state funding, anti-defection law and speedy disposal of electoral disputes, among other things, were under discussion. The government's main concern, he said, was how to curb the muscle and money power in the election process.

The Indrajit Gupta committee constituted to go into the issue of electoral reforms is expected to submit its report by next month. After receiving the report the government would come out with a comprehensive bill for electoral reforms, he added.

Thambidurai said the government was also seriously thinking of introducing a separate bill for establishing a special court or tribunal to dispose of electoral disputes within six months.

Asked about the proposal to give statutory teeth to the Model Code of Conduct, the minister said the Election Commission had written to the Union government not to give legislation status to the MCC.

On changes to parliamentary and assembly constituencies, the minister said the Election Commission had sought powers to delimit parliamentary and assembly constituencies periodically. The government felt it would be proper to delimit them only after the proposed nation-wide census in 2000, he said.

UNI

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