In a ruling against the Himachal government, the High Court has rejected its request for a delay in conducting elections for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) due to ongoing post-disaster reconstruction work. The court directed the government to complete all election preparations by February 28 and conduct the polls by April 30. The government’s plea to postpone the elections for six months citing damages from recent natural calamities amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore was turned down by the court.
The State Election Commission and the government were instructed by a Division Bench of Justices Vivek Thakur and Romesh Verma to proceed with the election process despite the challenges faced by the administrative machinery. The court highlighted logistical difficulties such as blocked rural roads and upcoming events like school Board examinations and the National Census. The decision came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Mandeep Chandel challenging the proposed election delay.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu clarified that the panchayat elections were not canceled but postponed to prioritize disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts. The government’s request for a six-month extension to hold the elections was declined by the court, emphasizing the impracticality of conducting elections during the school examination period. The term of the existing PRIs ends on January 31, while the tenure of 50 ULBs concludes earlier on January 18.
Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur accused the government of evading elections due to a fear of defeat, contrasting with the government’s stance of focusing on disaster recovery before holding elections.
