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Civic polls in Uttarakhand can be held within 30 to 35 days after May 27: State tells HC
The state election commission had in March this year moved high court seeking its intervention for holding the civic body elections at the earliest in the state as the terms of various local bodies was coming to an end on May 3
The Uttarakhand government on Thursday informed the Nainital High Court that a final status report on reservation and delimitation of the local bodies will be handed to over to the state election commission by May 27, following which it can conduct the civic polls in the state in 30 to 35 days.
Following the assurance, the high court disposed of a petition filed by the state election commission seeking intervention for holding the civic body elections at the earliest in the state, Sanjay Bhat, the counsel representing the poll panel, said.
Bhat said the state government apprised the single bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia that on May 23, a meeting was held between urban administration minister and the senior officials of the state election commission. It was decided in the meeting that the state government will hand over details of the reservation and delimitation of the local bodies to the commission by May 27 and after which it can hold the local body elections within 30 to 35 days.
The state election commission had in March this year moved high court seeking its intervention for holding the civic body elections at the earliest in the state as the terms of various local bodies was coming to an end on May 3. In the same month, the court ordered the state government to again invite objections for the delimitation process and issue a fresh notification.
The single bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, hearing a bunch of petitions from villagers from over half a dozen districts of the state, had on May 14 quashed the notification for expansion of municipal bodies. On May 17, the state government challenged the order following which a division bench on May 22 set aside the May 14 order.
