Covid-19 impact: UP govt likely to defer panchayat polls for six months

Panchayati raj minister Bhupendra Chaudhary, however, said the government would make efforts to hold rural polls on time.

With the Uttar Pradesh government busy mobilising resources to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, the three-tier panchayat polls that are due in November-December in the state are most likely to be put on hold.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chairs a meeting with ‘Covid-19 management Team-11' on the coronavirus pandemic, in Lucknow earlier this month. (ANI File Photo)

People aware of the development said that the state government is likely to defer panchayat polls for six months and, as permitted under the law, appoint administrators in place of pradhans (village chiefs) before their five-year term ends on December 25.

“Considering the fact that multi-stage activities that normally start six months prior to the polls are not even being talked of at the government level or in the panchayati raj department, clearly indicates that the government is not in the mood to hold panchayat polls,” said a senior panchayati raj department official requesting anonymity.

Panchayati raj minister Bhupendra Chaudhary, however, said the government would make efforts to hold rural polls on time. “While any deferment of polls will be a policy decision and I cannot comment on that at this juncture, all that I can say we still have sufficient time to make preparations and hold elections on time,” he said.

According to sources, the ball for the panchayat polls always starts rolling after the state government issued the notification with regard to delimitation of village panchayats and of territorial constituencies (wards) within panchayats.

“This is only after delimitation notification that the state election commission (SEC) starts revision of voter lists. Before elections, the state government also has to carry out a protracted exercise of reservation of posts of pradhans etc,” they said.

Additional commissioner, state election commission, VP Verma, said though it was running out of time the commission could still endeavour to manage holding polls on time by compressing the timelines provided in the government issued.

“Our work begins only after the delimitation notification and we are waiting for the government to issue the same,” he said.

People cited above said the state government did start the delimitation exercise that was left mid-way after the coronavirus made its appearance followed by over two-month lockdown in the state.

“Though it has already made a budgetary allocation of around Rs 500 crore for the panchayat polls, the government now wants to mobilse funds and manpower to fight the coronavirus preferring to postpone elections for six months,” they said.

The UP Panchayati Raj Act, 1947 empowers the state government to defer rural polls and appoint administrative committees or administrators for period not more than six months in case constitution of a village panchayat before expiry of its term is not possible for unavoidable circumstances.