Hyderabad High Court applies brakes on panchayat polls

Parigi:  Hopes of aspirants seeking to contest the panchayat elections dashed against the wall as the Hyderabad High Court applied brakes to the panchayat polls at a time everything is almost  ready to hold the elections. 

According to reports, all set for holding the elections. Meanwhile, the election fever picked up in villages. Leaders of various communities have been kept ready to field them in the panchayat polls in reserved seats according to their community. The high court applied breaks to the election process as it ruled that how can panchaayat elections be held without conducting BC census. The court asked the state government to conduct a BC census and invite objections, if any, putting brakes on the panchayat elections. 

This ruled out holding the panchayat elections before the deadline. The leaders, who are eagerly awaiting reservation of various constituencies, have no option to except for waiting for some more periods. The number of panchayats has gone up from the earlier 367 to 565. The officials who have revised the voters’ list embarked on division of voters panchayat wise and ward wise. Counting of voters as per the SC, ST and BC population has been completed. Of the total 568820 people in villages, BC voters constituted 3, 09, 197, 67973 are ST voters, 126319 are SC voters and 65331 are other voters. 

The officials have identified the polling booths having enumerated the voter caste wise. At the state level, the government completed the quota for the SC, ST and BC s. In fact, before June 10 the number of seats reserved for each community should be fixed. But there were irregularities in some villages in arriving at the BC population. Therefore, the state government wants to enumerate the BC population iagain n villages where irregularities were noticed.

As the term of panchayats is drawing to a close by July 31, will the panchayats be placed under the administration of special officers or Will the government appoint person in-charges?  Till the panchayat elections are held, the sarpanches are likey to act as person incharges.  The state government is consulting legal experts to take a decision.

BY Mohammad Wajeed