In 1997,the president named Lyngdoh one of India's three election commissioners. By 2001 he was chief election commissioner. Lyngdoh soon faced crisis in two of India's most troubled states.
Gujarat Elections,and Confrontation with Narendra Modi
In July 2002,S S Bhandari,Governor of Gujarat on the recommendation of State Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Narendra Modi,dissolved the Gujarat Assembly nine months before its term was due to end. The decision,attacked by main Opposition Congress and Left parties,was seen as an attempt to force the Election Commission to hold early elections in view of the Constitutional mandate prohibiting a more than six-month gap between two sessions of the House. [3] The dissolution of the assembly had been publicly opposed by the Election Commission in wake of the then recent communal violence in the state. [3] [4]
The Election Commission headed by Lyngdoh ruled out early elections in Gujarat. [5] On 20 August 2002,in a public meeting at Bodeli,near Vadodara,Modi targeted Lyngdoh. Modi insinuated that the reason the Election Commission had delayed holding the Gujarat assembly elections was because Lyngdoh was a Christian.
Lyngdoh hit back at Modi for attacking him on religious grounds,saying it was "quite despicable" and "gossip of menials" by those who have not heard of atheism. [6] [7] [8]
A day after Prime Minister Vajapayee's rebuke,Modi claimed that the controversy with Lyngdoh was over following Vajpayee's "guidelines" but reiterated his demand for early assembly elections in Gujarat. [9] In October 2002,the Supreme Court of India upheld the Election Commission's order to defer assembly elections in Gujarat. [10] [11]
