Defer civic poll results

Express News Service
Hyderabad, March 5:

  Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Bhanwar Lal will seek the clarification of the Election Commission of India (ECI) whether to declare the results of the civic body polls or not. Declaring of results of civic body polls will be decided as per the direction given by the ECI.
The CEO took this decision as the representatives of all the five political parties, who attended the meeting with CEO wanted defer the deceleration of outcome of civic body polls.
  It may be recalled that the State Election Commission (SEC) issued notification for conducting polls to 10 Municipal Corporations and 146 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats. The polling will be held on March 30 and the results will be declared on April 2.
 However, the political parties contended that declaring the results of civic bodies will act as an "exit poll" for the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The first phase of polls for Assembly will be held on April 30, 28 days after the civic body polls are out.
 The political parties said that the outcome of civic body polls will influence the voters in the Assembly elections and wanted the CEO to see that the results are not declared till the Assembly elections are over.
 If the ECI, wanted the SEC to postpone the civic body results, then the results will be declared only after May 7, on which date the second phase of Assembly and Lok Sabha will be completed.

Bhanwar Lal said that he would write to ECI stating that the political parties wanted deferment of poll results of civic bodies. "Whether the results of civic bodies will be out before Assembly elections or not will be decided based on the directive comes from the ECI," Bhanwar Lal said.

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