Tuesday, April 5 2005 13:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders today (Apr 5, 2005) met the Election Commission (EC) in New Delhi to demand that it should not hold by-elections to five Assembly seats in Goa till the House remained under suspended animation.

"In normal case, the by-election to the five seats should have been held within six months of the vacancy. But holding of by-election to an Assembly under suspended animation will be unprecedented in the history of the country," BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan told reporters after the meeting.

He said that the party delegation, which included former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, requested the EC that before taking a decision on holding the by-election, it must seek information from the Centre whether it wanted to revive the Assembly after the by-elections or dissolve it.

"If the Centre wants to dissolve the House, then the by-elections will become in fructuous and prove to be a laughing stock. Therefore, we requested the Commission that till the time the Centre gave its assurance, by-elections should not be held," he said.

Observing that holding of by-election was not an answer to stability, the BJP leaders urged the EC to order fresh elections in the State.

Mahajan alleged that by demanding the by-polls, Congress seemed to be hatching a "political conspiracy so that it can do fresh horse trading".

"The Commission heard us and promised to consider all issues under the framework of the Constitution and the Representation of People's Act," he added.