Two former Chief Ministers — Siddaramaiah and H.D. Kumaraswamy — have expressed bewilderment over the Election Commission of India’s announcement on holding byelections on December 5. Both of them tweeted soon after the announcement to say that it came as a surprise.
In his tweet, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the ECI appeared to be confused about the process even as it has announced election date “without any clarity” on the model code of conduct and other related issues. “How can a constitutional authority be in such a state of confusion?” he asked. Mr. Siddaramaiah said it was another instance of the ECI giving the impression that it was acting as a “puppet” in the hands of the BJP. “Congress is ready to face polls, but the ECI’s move give rise to suspicion,” he said.
