Chandigarh: There will be no elections in more than 250 panchayats in Punjab on October 15. The matter of panchayat elections in Punjab has reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, in a major relief to the Punjab Government, the High Court has stayed the elections of more than 250 panchayats. The High Court has only stopped the further process in those panchayats where complaints have been received.
The Punjab government issued a notification for elections in Panchayati Raj institutions scheduled for October 15. However, in more than 250 panchayats of Punjab, members were elected unanimously. In areas where elections were yet to be held, a stay was implemented with immediate effect.
Residents of different panchayats filed a petition against the election process, alleging that the officers elected the panchayat members unanimously under pressure from the ruling party. They also claimed that in cases where consensus was not being reached, leaders of opposition parties were not allowed to file nominations, or their nominations were forcibly cancelled by pressuring the officials.
The High Court, after receiving the morning petitions, instructed the Punjab government to respond within an hour and provide information about the officials appointed by the Panchayati Raj institutions for the elections. The court scheduled a hearing for the afternoon. After hearing from the government and the appellants, the High Court halted the elections for over 250 panchayats mentioned in the petitions. Lawyers have confirmed that the next hearing is scheduled for October 14th.