Panchayats not dissolved yet: govt corrects minister

A day after rural development minister Surjit Singh Rakhra announced in SAS Nagar that the 12,775 village panchayats across Punjab had been dissolved to pave way for elections, a spokesperson of the state government clarified that though the matter of polls had been taken up with the state election commission, the panchayats were functioning still.

A day after rural development minister Surjit Singh Rakhra announced in SAS Nagar that the 12,775 village panchayats across Punjab had been dissolved to pave way for elections, a spokesperson of the state government clarified that though the matter of polls had been taken up with the state election commission, the panchayats were functioning still.

A press release - which regretted the "communication gap" -- said that the dates of the elections were yet to be announced and notified by the poll panel; therefore, in view of legal provisions, the matter of dissolution of panchayats and issuance of notification would be taken up at a later stage.

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Rakhra had said the notification would be issued within a week, and the elections held by May 31.