Panchayat polls set for delay, plans to run local bodies by administrators

Amid indications that panchayat polls could be delayed owing to technical hurdles being faced by the State Election Commission (SEC) in procuring multi-post EVMs, the state government has started working on a plan to appoint administrators to run rural local bodies after expiry of their five-year term in mid-June

Amid indications that panchayat polls could be delayed owing to technical hurdles being faced by the State Election Commission (SEC) in procuring multi-post EVMs, the state government has started working on a plan to appoint administrators to run rural local bodies after expiry of their five-year term in mid-June.

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The panchayati raj department has started making necessary legal provisions so that the three-tier panchayati raj institutions (PRIs), from gram panchayat level to district boards, could be taken over and run through administrators.

The total number of top PRIs posts in Bihar is 8,659 while total number of posts in PRIs, including gram kutheries, stand at 2.58 lakh.

In simple terms, it means the state government officers of different ranks, mainly those posted at the block and district level, would be given charge of rural local bodies and will discharge all responsibilities pertaining to development works and use of funds.

“While there are no provisions in the Bihar Panchayat Act, 2006, to run the PRIs through administrators, certain provisions are there in the Bihar Municipal Act, 2007, for administrators to run urban local bodies. We are studying related laws and making necessary provisions so that the rural local bodies could be similarly run after expiry of their term in mid-June,” said additional chief secretary, panchayati raj department, Amrit Lal Meena.

“There are chances that panchayat polls would be delayed,” he said.

Asked who would be the administrators for the PRIs, Meena said the government would notify the designated officers soon.

This will be the first time in the last 20 years since 2001 panchayat polls when administrators would run the PRIs.

Admittedly, the impending delay in holding panchayat polls has come as a setback for the state government and the SEC, though preparations are afoot to hold the election at the earliest once the decks are cleared for procurement of multi-post EVMs.

The Bihar government has already sanctioned over ₹300 crore for purchase of EVMs to hold panchayat polls, a first in the state.

The delay in procurement of EVMs has been ostensibly caused because the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not given clearance to the ECIL (Electronic Corporation of India), Bengaluru, to provide 15,000 multi-post EVMs of M-3 model with SDMM module sought by the SEC, Bihar, despite communication between the two poll panels since last year, sources said.

Aggrieved by ECI’s reluctant stance, the SEC in February moved the Patna High Court filing a writ seeking judicial remedy so that ECIL gets the ECI nod for providing EVMs. The case is being heard by the High Court.

While SEC officials say there is no question of holding panchayat polls without EVMs, senior officials of the panchayati raj department said there was always an option of using ballot papers to conduct polls. “The SEC will have to take a decision on whether they want to hold polls through ballot papers or not,” Meena said.