Himachal Pradesh News
Himachal Pradesh moves Supreme Court against High Court order to conduct local body polls before April 30
The Himachal Pradesh government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s directive to conduct elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) before April 30, putting the upcoming local body polls under a cloud of uncertainty.
The Himachal Pradesh government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s directive to conduct elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) before April 30, putting the upcoming local body polls under a cloud of uncertainty.
A Special Leave Petition (SLP) has been filed by the Principal Secretary (Urban Development), Secretary (Panchayati Raj), and the Chief Secretary seeking relief against the High Court order.
Elections to PRIs and more than 70 urban local bodies were originally scheduled to be completed before March 31. However, the matter reached the High Court following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by certain individuals. The court subsequently directed the state to complete the election process by April 30 — a decision now contested by the government in the apex court.
BJP criticises move
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly criticised the state government for approaching the Supreme Court.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused the ruling Congress of attempting to avoid elections due to what he termed its “declining popularity”.
“The Congress, which keeps raising a hue and cry about democracy and the Constitution, is itself trampling upon democratic values,” Thakur said. He questioned why the Chief Minister and ministers had repeatedly assured that elections would be held on time if the government intended to challenge the court’s directive.
Thakur further argued that the absence of elected local bodies could hamper development works and delay implementation of Central schemes.
“If there are no elected representatives, how will development take place? How will hundreds of Central schemes reach the grassroots?” he asked.
With the matter now before the Supreme Court, the schedule for PRI and ULB elections remains uncertain.
