NEW DELHI: The Law Commission and the Election Commission on Wednesday discussed whether the Model Code of Conduct will have a greater impact on functioning of the Central and state government in the possible scenario of holding simultaneous polls in 2019. Sources said that the Justice BS Chauhan-led law panel asked the election commission to give details of past instances of the model code of conduct influencing any functioning of either state or central government.
Though both bodies had prepared a list of 20 questions to deliberate upon, on Wednesday, the law panel primarily focussed on issues that arise and affect (if at all) the functioning of governments when the EC’s model code of conduct is in force.
According to sources, the Law Commission has been receiving feedback regarding issues faced when the code of conduct is in force and therefore, the law panel focussed on this issue on Wednesday. The EC has told the law panel that there is no effect on schemes already in place but no new schemes can be introduced when model code of conduct is in place.
Sources said the law panel also wanted to know how many such instances were reported during the last four elections by Centre or states and the number of times it was settled. The questions, to be deliberated upon, were divided into two parts — on Constitutional issues and on legal/social-political-economic issues.
As reported first by TNIE on April 11, the law panel’s working draft has proposed holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies in two phases.