CHANDIGARH: With no signs of announcement of elections to panchayati raj institutions any time soon, Haryana government has asked PRIs and their elected representatives to submit their records in zila parishad offices concerned by Tuesday.
The government has already notified the appointment of administrator to panchayati raj institutions from February 23 onwards. The term of PRIs, including gram panchayats, block samitis and zila parishads ends the same day.
Even as the government claimed that arrangements are being made to ensure timely elections, delay has been attributed to the Covid lockdown and revision of electoral rolls.
CM Manohar Lal Khattar and deputy CM Dushyant Chautala had been claiming that panchayat elections would be held well on time.
Opposition parties including Congress, INLD and AAP have attributed the delay to sentiments of farmers, who are major stakeholders and participants in PRI elections.
“This was expected from this alliance. This government can give any reason for not announcing or conducting polls in time. Haven’t they conducted civic polls? Elections are being held in other states as well. Anyone can conclude the reason behind delayed elections,’’ said Aftab Ahmed, deputy leader of Congress legislative party (CLP) of the state. He added that the state government could even delay announcement of Ellenabad by-election.
Yogeshwar Sharma, a senior AAP leader alleged that the delay was deliberate. “They are keen on contesting elections in states like West Bengal but not here as their chances of having their own representatives elected are quite less. Anyhow, we are prepared for anything,’’ he said.