Elections to panchayati raj institutions postponed not cancelled, CM tells BJP

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the elections to panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) had been postponed and not cancelled and would be held after the infrastructure damaged during the monsoon this year was restored.

Sukhu, while talking to mediapersons here, said that the PRI elections should be held before January 23 and so there was still time. “Many Deputy Commissioners have expressed reservation over the holding of the PRI elections on the ground that road connectivity in many parts of the state has not been restored as rain is still hampering the restoration work. So, under the HP Disaster Management Act, it has been decided to postpone the elections,” he added.

He said, “The BJP can be rest assured that the PRI elections will be held. However, the first and foremost priority of the state government is to provide relief to people for the reconstruction of houses, construction of roads and the restoration of other damaged infrastructure.”

The Chief Minister said that the elections had not been cancelled but postponed till such time road connectivity was restored in most parts of the state. “Under the Disaster Act, it has been stated that first the restoration work will be completed which will be delayed if the PRI elections are held now,” he added.

He accused the BJP of exaggerating and opposing every move of the government to divert the attention of the public from the core issues. “In 2023, the BJP demanded that the monsoon session of the Assembly must be held at the earliest. When we held a debate on the disaster in 2023, the BJP staged a walkout rather than expressing solidarity with the disaster-affected families,” he added.

Sukhu said that since June 20 this year, the entire state had suffered large-scale damage to roads and other infrastructure, much more serious than the 2023 monsoon havoc.

The government has ordered the postponement of the PRI elections due in December this year and January next year on the ground that the state has suffered extensive damage to infrastructure, including roads in rural areas, during the monsoon season.

Sanjay Gupta in his capacity as acting Chief Secretary and Chairman of the State Executive Committee of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has ordered the postponement of the PRI poll under the Disaster Management Act-2025 in view of the damaged rural roads and private and public property.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur also defended the decision to defer the PRI elections. “The statements of BJP leaders regarding the postponement of the PRI elections is politically motivated. Even the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand had deferred elections during the Covid breakout,” he added.

Himachal Tribune