On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to issue an interim stay on the ongoing gram panchayat elections in Punjab, despite rising concerns over alleged irregularities.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, heading a bench, remarked that the court would not disrupt an election process once it is underway, emphasizing that such a move would create complete chaos.
The bench, however, agreed to examine a request for urgent listing of a petition challenging the elections, filed on the grounds of irregularities in the nomination process.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had previously rejected multiple petitions accusing election officials of arbitrarily dismissing nomination papers for sarpanch candidates.
Following the High Court’s dismissal, polling for approximately 1.05 lakh candidates contesting the positions of panch and sarpanch began on Tuesday, with ballots cast through traditional ballot boxes.
Notably, 3,798 candidates elected unopposed to the post of sarpanch, while 48,861 candidates have already secured panch positions.
Meanwhile, officials have scheduled voting for 9,398 gram panchayats, cancelling elections in 28 panchayats and postponing one.
Amid the elections, the Punjab Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2024, passed in September, has barred candidates from using political party symbols.
This legislation aims to keep the elections non-partisan and in line with local governance principles.
Despite the smooth conduct of polling, the election process has been marred by controversy.
The Congress party has vehemently criticized the alleged rejection of nomination papers.
Bajwa Urges Punjab Election Commission To Postpone Polls
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa led a delegation on Monday to the Punjab State Election Commission, urging a three-week postponement of the elections.
Bajwa cited widespread irregularities, accusing officials of wrongfully rejecting opposition-backed candidates’ nominations, particularly due to issues related to No Objection Certificates (NOCs).
Additionally, the Congress has raised objections over the use of an outdated voters’ list from January 2023, instead of the updated list from 2024, used in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Party leaders have argued that this discrepancy could impact the fairness of the electoral process.
Despite these calls for postponement and the pending court review, the panchayat elections in Punjab are proceeding under strict security arrangements to ensure a peaceful voting process.
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