Ajsu slams govt for delaying rural polls

Ranchi: Ajsu party chief Sudesh Mahto on Thursday criticised the incumbent Hemant Soren-led government for delaying the panchayat elections in the state.
Chairing a meeting of the party’s office bearers and functionaries on Thursday afternoon, Mahto, the Silli MLA, accused the government of trying to make the panchayati raj system irrelevant by delaying the . “It is clear that the government has given a free hand to bureaucrats and it is not keen to decentralise the governance. The delay in elections is having adverse effect on the development at the district and panchayat levels,” Mahto said.
The state government has postponed the panchayat elections, originally due last year, by over 12 months citing the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 4,000 panchayat bodies in Jharkhand received an extension in their tenure in August this year through an ordinance which was brought about by the state government.
Mahto also criticised the government for failing to fulfill its poll promises. “Two years is a long time for a government to deliver. Ajsu will tell the people of Jharkhand how many steps has this government has taken in the last two years,” Mahto said. At the meeting, Mahto directed the party officials to strengthen their grassroots units for the panchayat elections.