AMN NEWS
Political temperature has gone up in Haryana with the state getting signal from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to hold the much-delayed panchayat polls. The court’s decision to vacate the stay on the conduct of polls comes at a time when all political parties have been warming up in anticipation of a high-stakes contest.
While a modified Congress unit now has the Hoodas in drivers’ seat to help the party regain lost ground, the Aam Aadmi Party too is eager to get a foothold in the state after its stupendous Punjab victory.
The Punjab and Haryana high court on May 4 allowed the Haryana government to hold panchayat elections in the state.
The court was hearing pleas in which government move to amend Haryana Panchayati Raj law, which bars women from contesting on general seats, has been challenged.
“We had told the court that it was a constitutional amendment. The presumption remains that it is valid, unless, declared otherwise by court. So, the court has allowed us to conduct elections, which, however, would be subject to final outcome of writ petitions in the high court,” said additional advocate general Ankur Mittal, who along with advocate general Baldev Raj Mahajan had appeared in court.
Mittal said it was in July 2021 that the government had given an undertaking before court that due to Covid-19 outbreak, it won’t hold elections.
However, in September 2021, it changed its stand and said it intended to hold panchayat elections in a phased manner.
The then director general, development and panchayats department, Ramesh Chander Bidhan, in an affidavit, had told court that earlier, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the process of election could not be initiated. However, as now the situation has improved, and in view of the provisions of Article 243E of the Constitution and Section 3 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, the government and state election commission intended to hold elections.
As per the Act and Article 243E, election should be held within six months from the date of dissolution of panchayats. The term of panchayats got over in February 2021.