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EC
to probe PM, Chidambaram case
Dehradun:
The Election Commission will investigate into the petition
seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and Finance Minister P Chidambaram as Members of Parliament,
Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy said on Saturday
The petition seeks disqualification on the ground that Singh
and Chidambaram are holding offices of profit as trustees
of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Gopalaswamy said the Commission
will find out various facts like the date of appointments
and benefits if any, which will take some time. The petition
was referred by the President to the Election Commission on
Friday. On August 18, President APJ Abdul Kalam gave his nod
to the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment
Bill, 2006 popularly called the Office-of-Profit Bill, after
the Government announced the setting up of a Joint Parliamentary
Committee to define what constitutes an office-of-profit as
stated in Article 102 of the Constitution. The Act that exempts
56 posts from the purview of the bill gave a reprieve to MPs
who could have otherwise faced disqualification.
Assembly
polls in UP, Punjab, Manipur,
Uttaranchal before March 17
Dehradun:
Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy on Saturday
said the Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Punjab and Manipur assemblies
will go to the polls before March 17 next year. Speaking to
newspersons after a high level meeting here to review arrangements
for Uttaranchal assembly polls, Gopalswamy expressed unhappiness
over the slow distribution of photo-identity cards. He also
directed the officials to speed up the process of distribution
of photo-identity cards observing that so far only 30 to 50
percent of voters had received their cards. The names of youths
completing 18 years of age on January 1 next year, would be
included in the voter list of the four states, he said.
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