Gram Panchayat polls must be held in 2020: SEC to state govt

BENGALURU: Even as the State government is pushing for further postponement of gram panchayat elections, the Karnataka State Election Commission (SEC) told the government that the local body polls have to be held in 2020. The Under Secretary to the SEC has written to the Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR), stressing the need to conduct GP polls before this year-end.TNIE on Tuesday had reported that the State was planning to seek the postponement of GP polls, citing the Covid pandemic. 

Terms of panchayats ended in June, but elections could not be held due to Covid. The government has appointed administrators to run the local bodies. But the rule specifies that the elections have to be held within six months of appointing administrators. Also, a PIL is pending before the Karnataka High Court on the delay in holding the polls. 

The undersecretary’s letter mentioned that the terms of taluk and zilla panchayat too are ending early next year, and elections have to be held for those seats too. Also, many new taluks have been formed and SEC needs time to create a reservation list for these panchayats. The SEC has to hold BBMP elections too. “Since SEC has to conduct all these elections in 2021, it cannot further postpone panchayat elections and it has to be conducted before 2020,” the SEC stated in its letter to the government.