HC questions delay in local bodies’ elections, asks govt to submit poll dates
Elections to the local bodies of Zilla Parishad, Mandal Parishad and Gram Panchayats in Telangana have been on hold for a long time
By Newsmeter Network Published on 28 July 2023 12:15 PM GMT
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday questioned the delay by the Telangana State government in holding elections to the local bodies in the state.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T Vinod Kumar, directed the questioning to Naseer Ahmed Khan, the GP for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Telangana, about the election dates so that the advocate general can convey the same to the government.
Elections to the local bodies of Zilla Parishad, Mandal Parishad and Gram Panchayats in Telangana have been on hold for a long time, resulting in 220 sarpanch, 94 MPTCs, 4 ZPTCs, 5,364 ward members and 344 deputy sarpanch posts lying vacant.
“When will the state hold the elections to the local bodies? The same issue was discussed in the court on July 11. The state has to hold elections irrespective of incessant rains and other issues,” CJ Alok Aradhe informed the GP.
Vidya Sagar, senior counsel appearing for the Telangana State Election Commission, informed the court that the commission is waiting for the state’s permission to conduct the elections.
The Division Bench was adjudicating a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Rapolu Bhaskar, seeking directions to the state government and the chief election officer for Telangana to provide the dates for conducting elections to the local bodies.
The petition claimed that the work in the panchayats is being carried out by nominating representatives, depriving the citizens of the different developmental and welfare activities.
