By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 13 Jun: A purported election schedule went viral this morning on social media claiming to be issued by the Uttarakhand State Election Commission. The social media posts also showed a letter issued allegedly by the Chief Electoral Officer that the Panchayat elections in 12 districts of the state excluding Haridwar where the elections are not being held as yet, would be held in two phases starting 17 July, with government notifications to be issued between 23 and 26 June. However, both the Panchayati Raj Department and the State Election Commission have refuted the document as fabricated and misleading. The State Election Commission has clarified that no such information or notification has been issued as yet by the State Election Commission and, so far, no schedule has been released for the panchayat polls.
While the viral election schedule is being described as fake, the mandatory official processes like reservation, finalisation and administrative extensions suggest a July-timed election to follow. The State Election Commission plans to release the final schedule only once reservation disputes are resolved.
The sources in the government claim that the preparations to hold the Panchayat elections at the earliest possible remain on track. It may be recalled that the government recently extended the tenure of panchayat administrators until 31 July and issued a notification concerning reservation checks.
Today, the Panchayati Raj Department released the preliminary reservation list; objections are currently being solicited. The final reservations will be published on 18 June, followed by submission of reservation details to the Directorate of Panchayati Raj and the State Election Commission on 19 June.
It may also be recalled that the Uttarakhand High Court, in response to a few petitions and a PIL, had directed the state to finalise a panchayat poll schedule by 20 May, emphasising the unconstitutionality of extending administrator terms in lieu of elections. The state government later informed the court via affidavit that it was fully prepared for polls across the 12 districts pending Haridwar, and that the State Election Commission was ready to proceed once the reservation exercise concluded.
Despite the denial of the social media memo, sources indicate that the panchayat polls are still likely to be held before the end of July.
