Chandigarh: The matter of delay in elections of Municipal Corporations and Councils in Punjab was heard in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court reprimanded the government and asked why elections were not being held even after the end of their term. The court has fixed the next hearing of this case on 23 September. At the next hearing, the government (Principal Secretary of Local Bodies Department) will be asked to file a reply. A case has been filed in the court by Beant Singh, a resident of Malerkotla.
Petitioner Beant Singh stated in his petition that more than two years have passed since the term of 42 municipal councils of Punjab ended. But elections were not conducted by the government. Due to this delay in conducting elections, development work is being affected in all areas. The term of all the councils was completed in December 2023. In August 2023, the Local Bodies Department had issued a notification to conduct Municipal Council elections. According to which elections were to be held by November 1, 2023, but were not conducted.
The petitioner told that he had sent a legal notice to the government on July 5 to conduct elections. But the government has not yet responded to it. In such a situation, he has filed a petition in the High Court demanding elections. According to the Constitution, it is necessary to conduct municipal council elections before the end of their term.
In another petition, the court has been told that elections have not been held even after the terms of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and Phagwara Municipal Corporations have ended.