Opposition parties want panchayat polls put off

The Opposition parties on Friday called for postponement of the impending panchayat elections in the state in view of the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases

The Opposition parties on Friday called for postponement of the impending panchayat elections in the state in view of the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases.

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The state has more than 29,000 active cases and health machinery is having a tough time managing resources to deal with the problem.

Anand Madhab, chairman of the state Congress’s manifesto committee, has urged the State Election Commission (SEC) to postpone the elections for the three-tier panchayat elections till the time the situation is brought under control. “Not only are people getting sick in large numbers due to Covid-19 this time, casualty figures are also alarming,” said Madhab.

Echoing similar views, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief spokesman and MLA Bhai Birendra said, “Situation would have not been so alarming had the government learnt from the past mistakes and ramped up medical facilities.”

Officials at the SEC, which conducts the elections for urban and rural bodies, said they were all geared up for holding the elections.

State election commissioner Deepak Prasad, however, could not be contacted for his comments.

As per the panchayati raj department, elections for six posts in each of over 8,400 panchayat bodies are scheduled to be held in June. Accordingly, the state election commission has identified 1.14 lakh booths across the state.