Allahabad HC rejects SEC schedule for panchayat polls

Prayagraj, Feb 4 The Allahabad High Court on Thursday rejected the schedule proposed by the Uttar Pradesh's State Election Commission (SEC) for holding panchayat elections in the state.

The SEC had sought to hold panchayat polls in May, but the court ruled it out, observing that the panchayat elections should have concluded by January 13, 2021 as per the rules.

The SEC, in its submission before the high court, said that the voter list for panchayat polls had been prepared by January 22, however, the work on the reservation of seats by the state government is yet to be finalised which has delayed the process of holding elections.

The SEC further said that it will take at least 45 days more to prepare for the polls after the seat reservation is decided.

Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj minister, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, had said in December that the notification regarding the panchayat elections will be issued after the completion of preparatory work for the polls which was already underway.

( With inputs from IANS )