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Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji
The Election Commission has begun preparations for fresh assembly election in Goa, while the opposition Congress has approached the high court to stall the process of notifying the poll process.
The Goa high court is already seized with four petitions challenging the dissolution of the assembly before the expiry of its term on the eve of Budget session, as well as drawing money from the contingency fund without the Budget.
The Congress alone has filed three of these petitions.
The fifth petition, to be taken up for hearing on Monday, primarily prays to restrain the Chief Election Commissioner from notifying the assembly polls.
The CEC, on the other hand, has indicated that the tenth assembly has to sit by 17 July, which means the notification has to be issued by May.
Petitioner Shantaram Naik, former Pradesh Congress Committee president and former Member of Parliament, feels that no election can be notified when the court is deciding on vital constitutional issues like premature dissolution of the assembly and utilising contingency fund without presenting the Budget.
CEC B B Tandon, during his two-day Goa visit, however clarified that no situation can stall the process of notifying elections, unless the court issues a clear-cut directive to stay it.
"Pending hearing of the petition, we can definitely go ahead with the process," he said.
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