Self-appointed astrologers declaring poll dates: CEC's veiled swipe at Guj BJP chief

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said some "self-appointed astrologers" have declared dates of elections before his visit to Gujarat, an apparent swipe at state BJP chief C R Paatil who had said the Assembly polls may conclude by November-end.

Gandhinagar (Gujarat):Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said some "self-appointed astrologers" have declared dates of elections before his visit to Gujarat, an apparent swipe at state BJP chief C R Paatil who had said the Assembly polls may conclude by November-end.

"We take a decision on when to hold elections after taking into consideration all factors. Whenever the time comes, we inform the media and nobody else (about the poll schedule). It is a different thing that some self-appointed astrologers have announced the dates of elections before our visit here," Kumar told reporters. He was apparently referring to Paatil's statement on Monday that the upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat are likely to get over by November-end, unlike the last two polls that went on till mid-December.

The CEC and a team of senior officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) are in Gujarat to review the poll preparedness. Kumar said the poll body considers many factors before finalising the poll schedule and the media is the first to know when the dates are announced.