SHIMLA , Nov 26— A confrontation over stalled panchayat and urban local bodies elections took centre stage in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday after Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania accepted an adjournment motion filed by BJP legislators, allowing a debate ahead of Question Hour.
The motion, moved by Randhir Sharma, Surinder Shouri and Rakesh Jamwal, accused the Congress government of dragging its feet on the polls. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said the government welcomed a “fact-based discussion” and insisted there was no reluctance to debate the issue.
Opening the discussion, Sharma alleged that the government was trying to defer the elections even though the State Election Commission had indicated it was prepared to conduct them on schedule. “The government has pushed itself into needless confrontation with the Commission,” he said.
The controversy intensified after the Cabinet cleared panchayat reorganisation earlier this week — a move the BJP said contradicted the Election Commission’s November 17 notification invoking the Model Code of Conduct, which freezes any changes to boundaries or classifications of panchayats and municipalities once the poll process begins.
Sharma said the delay must end and urged the government to announce dates immediately, calling the situation an “insult to the Constitution.” He also questioned the decision to cite the Disaster Management Act for postponement. “If children can attend school, why can’t their parents go to vote?” he asked.
With both sides firm on their positions, the standoff is likely to dominate the first leg of the winter session.
