Opposition alleges major irregularities in Panchayat polls, seeks Singh’s intervention
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
An Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee delegation headed by the PCC chief Karan Mahara met the governor lieutenant general (retd) Gurmit Singh and submitted a memorandum demanding the dismissal of the State election commissioner. The delegation also requested the governor to issue instructions to the State government regarding the law and order situation in the State.
The Congress delegation talked to the governor in detail about the alleged irregularities in the recently concluded three-tier Panchayat elections, the alleged goondaism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, firing and kidnapping incidents along with the FIRs lodged against the leader of opposition Yashpal Arya and party MLAs. Mahara alleged that the BJP had brought in jungle Raj in the State, accusing it of purposely delaying the Panchayat polls by seven months so that their voters in the local bodies could also vote in the rural areas. The government made a mockery of reservation rules for district Panchayat and block Panchayat members to provide reservation against the rules.
The PCC chief cited the examples of Nainital, Betalghat and Rudraprayag to state that the government machinery remained a mute spectator while criminals openly kidnapped district Panchayat members in addition to firing rounds in Betalghat. MLA and former PCC chief Pritam Singh said that reservation was provided on the post of district Panchayat president in blatant violation of the rules.
MLA Qazi Nizamuddin said that since the governor is the patron of the State government and constitutional institutions in the State, he should intervene and issue stern directions to the government at a time when it is toying with the constitution. Former chief minister Harish Rawat said that from the beginning to the end, the State Election Commission had functioned as a puppet of the government despite being a constitutional body which is meant to work without partiality.
The commission did the contrary and made a mockery of even the Panchayati Raj Act by issuing an order against the law to enable persons with names in voter lists in two places to contest the election. The Uttarakhand High Court had ordered a stay on this order but the commission did not follow the HC orders too, Rawat alleged.
Talking to the media after their visit, the Congress leaders said that the governor had assured them that he will seriously consider all the points they had raised and will send an appropriate message to the government.
