3 weeks after deferral, no news on new Panchkula MC polls date

The announcement of the postponement was made by Kulbhushan Goyal just before the voting was set to begin; he had said that a new date would be announced soon, but no decision has been made yet.

The election for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor in Panchkula remains in limbo, three weeks after it was postponed. The elections, initially scheduled for November 4, were halted when the designated returning officer, municipal joint commissioner Simranjit Kaur, reportedly fell ill on the day of the vote.

The delay has sparked political tensions, with accusations from the Congress that the BJP deliberately postponed the election to avoid an unfavourable outcome. (HT)

The announcement of the postponement was made by mayor Kulbhushan Goyal just before the voting was set to begin. He had said that a new date would be announced soon, but no decision has been made yet. According to municipal commissioner Aparajita, it is the mayor’s responsibility to decide when the election will be held, and only then can a schedule be prepared. When questioned, Goyal confirmed that no timeline has been established for the election.

The election was supposed to take place with all 20 municipal councillors present, including 11 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), eight from the Congress, and one from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). The delay has sparked political tensions, with accusations from the Congress that the BJP deliberately postponed the election to avoid an unfavourable outcome.

The political standoff intensified after three councillors — Sunit Singla from Congress, Sushil Garg from JJP, and Independent Omwati Punia — switched allegiance to the BJP just a day before the scheduled election, increasing the BJP’s strength to 11 seats in the 20-member house. With the ’s tie-breaking vote, the BJP solidified a clear majority over Congress, which now holds eight seats, plus one additional vote from the JJP.

The Congress leaders have accused the BJP of intentionally bypassing court-mandated deadlines. The Haryana high court had set September 25 as the election date, expressing concern over the prolonged vacancy of the posts. Akshaydeep Chaudhary, Congress councillor, had filed a petition regarding the delayed elections for three years.

A BJP councillor stated that although the election date was set following court intervention, the Congress has not pursued a contempt petition after the postponement, likely due to their lack of majority in the MC.

Although elections for the mayor and 20 councillors took place in 2020, the senior deputy and deputy positions were left vacant. The BJP, despite having a majority, chose not to nominate candidates for these roles amid fears of internal dissent.