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Opposition Criticizes Himachal Government Over Delay in Urban Local Body Elections
Shimla, Updated At : 16:53 PM Aug 29, 2025 IST
The Opposition has slammed the Himachal Pradesh government for proposing a two-year delay in elections to newly formed Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), citing a lack of infrastructure.
The BJP on Friday accused the government of attempting to postpone elections to all ULBs under the pretext of OBC reservation, fearing a backlash against the Congress in urban areas.
The criticism came after Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh tabled the Himachal Pradesh Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Assembly on Thursday. The Bill proposes deferring elections in the newly constituted ULBs for up to two years due to inadequate infrastructure such as staff, office space, and financial resources.
Despite strong objections from Opposition MLAs, the amendment was passed by a voice vote. Speaker Kuldeep Pathania put the Bill to vote, and it was cleared even as BJP legislators staged a protest. Several Opposition members demanded that these ULBs be de-notified, arguing they had been created against public sentiment and despite local opposition.
Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh defended the amendment, saying urban populations were expanding rapidly and there was an urgent need to regulate unplanned construction. He pointed out that the urban population rose to 9.16 lakh in 2024 — a 60% increase compared to 2012. He assured the House that the amendment was constitutionally sound, noting that states like Haryana, Assam, and Maharashtra had adopted similar measures.
Singh also highlighted that the OBC population survey conducted on November 4, 2010, only covered rural areas, leaving urban areas excluded. “We do not want to deprive OBCs of their rightful share, which is why a fresh survey is underway,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur alleged that the government was violating constitutional norms and warned that the amendment would not withstand judicial scrutiny. “It is shocking that the government created three municipal corporations, three municipal councils, and 17 nagar panchayats against public sentiment,” he said.
Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma argued, “These bodies should first be de-notified, as they were formed on irrational grounds. If you are confident in your decision, why shy away from elections?”
Una MLA Satpal Singh Satti claimed that, given the growing anger against the Congress government, it was attempting to defer all ULB elections under the guise of OBC reservation.
Other MLAs opposing the amendment included Rakesh Jamwal (Sundernagar), I.D. Lakhanpal (Barsar), Trilok Jamwal (Bilaspur), Hans Raj (Churah), Inder Gandhi (Balh), Dalip Thakur (Sarkaghat), and Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur).
