November 9, 2002	Saturday	Ramazan 3,1423

NEW DELHI, Nov 8: India’s independent election commission issued a strong warning on Friday to politicians seeking to exploit religious divides in polls next month in Gujarat, saying they would be “rigidly prosecuted”.

Chief Election Commissioner James Michael Lyngdoh told a private Indian news and entertainment channel that he would come down heavily on politicians making inflammatory speeches with communal overtones.

“Absolutely, people who use that sort of language ... make those sort of statements on communal lines will be and should be rigidly prosecuted. We have to hasten that process,” Lyngdoh told Sab Television.

The chief election commissioner also made it clear that not only candidates but other political or religious leaders would have to maintain a “strict code of conduct” in the run-up to the polls on Dec 12.

“It could be anybody ... Whoever it is,” Lyngdoh stressed.

He also said he had held talks with the home secretary to discuss security requirements for a smooth assembly poll.

“The security issue has been settled in a satisfactory manner after a discussion with the home secretary. We could get between 37,500 and 42,500 paramilitary troops,” he said.

Press reports on Wednesday said the election commission and the home ministry were heading for a showdown after the government said it could not supply the 40,000 security personnel requested by the poll panel to ensure the safety of voters.

Lyngdoh is making unprecedented security arrangements for voting in the state, which is still battling intermittent incidents of communal violence.

The no-nonsense election commissioner has promised Gujarat’s 32.8-million-strong electorate “adequate security” while casting their vote in 35,052 polling stations spread across the state.—AFP