Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Jun: The Congress party today continued its attack on the state government regarding alleged irregularities in the three-tier panchayat elections. A high-level delegation led by state Congress President Karan Mahra and Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, along with prominent party leaders including state Congress co-in-charge Surendra Sharma, former president Ganesh Godiyal, MLAs Vikram Singh Negi and Lakhpat Butola, and Mahila Congress president Jyoti Rautela, among others, visited the State Election Commission office on Ring Road and called on State Election Commissioner Sushil Kumar to register their concerns.
It is pertinent to note here that the Uttarakhand High Court had not put the panchayat polls on hold by the time the Congress delegation met the State Election Commissioner.
Karan Mahra alleged before the Election Commissioner that the ruling BJP had manipulated the reservation process for the three-tier panchayat elections by influencing district administrations and the Panchayati Raj Department, effectively nullifying the roster system. This, he claimed, has led to widespread confusion regarding the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and even the general category.
He further pointed out that although the State Election Commission has announced the election schedule, voters have not yet been provided with the electoral rolls. In response, Sushil Kumar stated that the voter lists had been uploaded on the Commission’s website but acknowledged that hard copies have not yet been distributed. He assured that hard copies would be made available soon.
Yashpal Arya alleged large-scale discrepancies in the voter lists, alleging that the ruling party had included individuals, who had recently voted in urban local body elections, as rural voters for the panchayat polls. Arya demanded that presiding officers be instructed to prohibit such individuals from voting or contesting in the panchayat elections.
Former state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the publication of the interim reservation list. He stated that while objections were invited for the initial list, no such opportunity was given when the final list was published.
Other Congress leaders alleged that ruling party members exert undue pressure on presiding officers to reject nominations of opposition candidates, a practice reportedly seen in previous local body elections as well. They urged the State Election Commission to issue strict instructions to all presiding officers to ensure that the nomination process remains fair and transparent, and that no valid nomination is rejected under any pressure.
In response, State Election Commissioner Sushil Kumar assured the Congress delegation that the Commission is committed to conducting the panchayat elections with complete impartiality and transparency. He added that strict instructions have already been issued to all district magistrates and officials involved in the election process.
The delegation included Vikram Singh Negi, Lakhpat Butola, media advisor Amarjeet Singh, Jyoti Rautela, general secretary Naveen Joshi, spokespersons Giriraj Kishore Hindwan and Sheeshpal Singh Bisht, Murari Lal Khandelwal, Akhilesh Uniyal, Ashwini Bahuguna, among others.
