(Aditya Shaw, Intern Journalist): Due to lack of preparedness for the Corona pandemic, three-tier panchayat elections will not be held in time. Administrators will be posted in Panchayati Institutions even before their tenure is over. Preparation is on to make Assistant Development Officer (Panchayat) in Gram Panchayat, Deputy District Magistrate in Kshetra Panchayat and District Magistrate in Zilla Panchayat. Panchayat elections are expected to be held in the year 2021.
There are 58758-gram panchayats, 821 kshetra panchayats and 75 Zilla panchayats in the state. Their elections were to be held by the end of this year. Election preparations take at least 6 months. In 2015, preparations for these elections started from February-March. The schedule for determining the constituency (ward) of Gram Panchayat, Kshetra Panchayat, and Zilla Panchayat was released on 16 March.
For this, a four-member committee was formed under the chairmanship of DM. Its revised schedule was released on 4 April. The State Election Commission started the program of reviewing the voter list of three-tier panchayats from May 18. The process of reservation of Panchayati institutions started on 11 August. But due to Covid-19, preparations for the election could not start from March this time. According to the situation, the elections of Gram Panchayat, Kshetra Panchayat, and Zilla Panchayat can be held simultaneously this time.
Voter list revision and delimitation process stuck
After the lockdown from 25 March, almost all the work in the state was almost at a standstill. Since then, all districts have been trying to prevent the spread of corona infection. It also includes the Panchayati Raj Department. Therefore, neither the voter list has been revisited nor the process of delimitation of panchayats has started.
Chief Minister will take a final decision:
It has not been decided to postpone the election yet. Preparations are certainly backward due to Corona, but we still have time. If the circumstances of the infection are brought under control soon, then preparations will be started for the election. If the situation does not improve soon, then the whole matter will be placed before Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Chief Minister will take the final decision regarding postponement of elections and appointment of Administrator in Panchayati Institutions.
-Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, Panchayati Raj Minister, Uttar Pradesh
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