Elections for Panchkula senior deputy mayor, deputy mayor on September 25
This was stated by Haryana government before the Punjab and Haryana high court in response to a petition filed by Congress councillor Akshaydeep Chaudhary seeking directions to Haryana government “to immediately schedule and conduct the elections for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the municipal corporation, Panchkula
The city municipal corporation is set to hold elections for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor on September 25, after a delay of three years.
This was stated by Haryana government before the Punjab and Haryana high court in response to a petition filed by Congress councillor Akshaydeep Chaudhary seeking directions to Haryana government “to immediately schedule and conduct the elections for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the municipal corporation, Panchkula”.
The division bench of high court comprising of justice Sudhir Singh and justice Karamjit Singh, while disposing off the petition, on July 24, clarified, “In case the elections are not conducted as scheduled or postponed, the petitioner will be at liberty to seek redressal of his grievance.”
It may be mentioned that in April 2023, the urban local bodies department had written to the civic body authorities to hold elections for both the posts and sent the file to the mayor for fixing the date of the elections but nothing moved on the ground.
Fearing rebellion, no candidate announced by BJP
Panchkula MC comprises of mayor, 10 councillors of the BJP, two of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), seven of the Congress and one Independent. The mayor is of the BJP.
JJP was coalition partner of the BJP but the alliance was snapped before the parliamentary elections in March this year.
The elections to the posts of mayor and 20 councillors were held in 2020. They assumed charge in the first week of January, 2021. As per Section 36 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation and 71 and 72 of the Election Rules, the elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are to be held within 60 days after the notification by the Election Commission about the councillors’ poll.
But fearing a rebellion in the party, the BJP had not announced any candidate for the two posts.
JJP had taken up the issue with the municipal commissioner as well as the divisional commissioner, Ambala. JJP even had planned a protest against mayor in February 2023 but they were then pacified by the mayor. Even Congress had submitted letters with the signatures of 10 councillors to the MC authorities twice, but to no avail, following which Congress councillor moved high court earlier this year.