By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 28 Nov: The Uttarakhand Election Commission and the State Government have now geared up to hold the municipal elections by the end of December. For this, preparations are now stated to be in full swing. It may be recalled that the civic elections were due early this year but have since been postponed on various grounds, including reservations of wards for OBC candidates. However, the bill regarding this is now awaiting approval from the Governor and is expected to be cleared soon. In this case, the State Election Commission and the state government will be able to hold the elections before the end of December. It however remains to be seen if that really happens. Meanwhile, even the Three Tier panchayat bodies in 12 districts, with the exception of Haridwar district, have now been handed over to administrators.
Sources in the Urban Development Department claim that the government has set a target to conduct municipal elections by 25 December. Preparations for the municipal polls have intensified, with the Urban Development Department and the State Election Commission awaiting approval of an ordinance on OBC reservations from the Raj Bhawan. The ordinance is expected to be cleared this week, enabling the Dhami Government to finalise OBC reservation rules. Once approved, the process will commence at the district level, and the State Election Commission will issue a notification for civic elections.
The government claims that it is determined to conclude civic elections by the end of this year. Delaying the polls beyond 2024 would necessitate updating the voter list based on 1 January, 2025, which will again delay the elections at least by another month, something that the government wishes to avoid. Moreover, board examinations in February and March would make holding elections during that period difficult. The government’s insistence on December elections also stems from the fact that updated voter lists would not be required, simplifying logistics.
State Election Commission Secretary Rahul Kumar Goyal confirmed that preparations for civic elections, including voter lists, are complete for all 102 municipal bodies. The Commission is now waiting for the government to finalise OBC reservation. Once received, the election schedule will be prepared, and the notification is expected to be issued within a week, with elections conducted in the following 25–30 days.
