Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Hari Shankar Bhabhra has condemned the EC for its order and challenged its right ``to interfere with government functioning''. Earlier, Energy Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari had dismissed the order, saying it was of little consequence. ``How can we give up developmental plans? There have been so many elections. The Government can just not function like this,'' he said. Other ministers too support this viewpoint.

Bhabhra said the state Government has sought legal opinion from the Advocate General on the EC order and added that the BJP central leadership would also be consulted on the matter to decide a course of action.

The commission had recently sought clarification from the Rajasthan Government regarding its decision to setup new administrative units. The state government had announced creation of nine new tehsils and upgradation of two in defiance of the EC directive.

Another controversial decision, announced on September 26, was the regularisation of all unauthorised colonies which had come up before January 1994. There are an estimated 2,500 such colonies in the state, housing about 70 lakh people, of whom nearly 30 lakh are voters.

The state BJP ministers, however, see nothing wrong with the steps, saying ``public welfare'' works can't stop simply because of elections. They also point out that relief has to be distributed in the drought-hit areas.

The opposition Congress has protested against the Government's attitude, accusing it continuing populist measures even after the EC directive. Former chief minister Shiv Charan Mathur alleges the Government is even transferring officers by issuing backdated orders. ``They have put September 18 as the date on all these orders,'' he claims, insisting he has proof to back this.Rajasthan Congress general secretary Chandrabhan has asked the EC to send a central observer to look into the violations of the code of conduct.

However, the Congress too has a grouse against the EC for going to the Supreme Court against a high court order on a petition moved by it. The party had questioned the authenticity of the voters' list, prepared before the last Lok Sabha elections, in which the number of voters in the state was 14 lakh less than in the list prepared for the 1996 Lok Sabha elections. The HC had ruled that both the lists be kept at all booths and a person whose name figured in any of the two should be allowed to vote. Criticising the EC decision to appeal against this order, Congress spokesperson Mahesh Joshi said: ``It is not a party matter. It is a question of citizens' rights.''