The Election Commission on Wednesday denied permission to the Congress to use a school ground in Kottayam city to hold an election meeting to be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 9 as “it is against Election Commission's guideline that prohibits election campaign in educational institutions”.
Confirming this to The Hindu , Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said the letter seeking permission for the Prime Minister's rally was given by the District Congress Committee to the local Collector who forwarded it to the Commission. The guideline was framed by the Commission based on an earlier order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Later, when the Commission received many representations from various quarters stating that there were no other alternative grounds available to hold the meetings except on the premises of the local educational institutions, the guideline was relaxed to some extent with the condition that the meeting should be held only after the closing of school/college hours and that too if there were no other ground/maidan available for such meetings.
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But in the case of Kottayam, a few other places were available in the city for holding the rally, Mr. Quraishi said and hence the permission was denied to use the school (Mar Thoma Seminary Higher Secondary School) ground.
Meanwhile, sources said the District Congress Committee had decided to hold the Prime Minister's rally at 11.30 a.m. on April 9 at Nehru Stadium in Kottayam. The local Congress leaders did not mention about any security angle while seeking permission for holding the meeting in the school, which is a private-aided one. The school premises was selected mainly because it was close to the helipad and the railway station.