Kurukshetra: The Election Commission today said the next Lok Sabha polls would be held on the basis of the new Delimitation Commission report if these are held as per schedule in 2009 and rejected the view that voting be made compulsory.

Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi told mediapersons here Karnatka, which is to go for assembly polls later this year, lagged far behind in preparing the voters rolls and the photo cards have not been updated after 2004.

Quraishi was very critical of those who did not vote in the elections to assemblies and the Lok Sabha and yet gave vent to their anguish against the prevalent political system.

"There is great need for social education of such urban elite people in the participative parliamentary form of government in India", he said.

Quarishi rejected the view that voting be made mandatory for every eligible voter except some bonafide exemptions. "Things can't be imposed in this manner in a flourishing democracy like India", he said.

He appreciated the efforts by Haryana and Kerala to update the electoral photo identity cards well in time. The maximum work has been done by these two states for most of the eligible voters.

Answering a query, he said he had no idea of the changes made in the constituencies in Haryana but pointed out that the changes in areas of constituencies had had their effects almost all over the country. 

Source : PTI