Postponing Elections Violates Democratic Norms: Himachal BJP

CM and Ministers Creating Confusion by Claiming Polls Will Be Held on Time: Naina Devi MLA

Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma on Saturday accused the Congress government of violating democratic principles by postponing the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) elections, just as it had earlier delayed the urban local body polls.

Addressing the media here, Sharma said the state government first tried to defer the municipal elections and has now postponed the PRI polls as well. “The Congress government, which accuses others of ‘vote theft,’ is itself going against democratic norms by postponing the PRI elections,” he said.

He added that the government had used the excuse of incomplete restoration work in disaster-affected areas to justify the postponement. “Now the Chief Minister and ministers are trying to create confusion by claiming that the elections will be held on time. If that’s true, why did the State Disaster Management Authority issue an order on Thursday?” Sharma questioned.

The MLA further said the state government had already issued an ordinance to defer elections to newly constituted urban local bodies. “During the Assembly session, an amendment bill was also introduced to formalize this decision, under which elections to the newly formed urban local bodies in the state will not be held for two years,” he added.