The Uttarakhand Nagar Nikay Chunav 2023 urban local bodies elections in Uttarakhand, including Nagar Nigam, Nagar Palika, and Nagar Panchayats, are going to be delayed by six months. This decision was conveyed to the Nainital High Court in response to a notice issued by the court. It’s important to note that the current term for these urban local bodies in Uttarakhand is set to end on December 2.
The State Election Commission, in response to a petition from a resident of Jaspur named Anees, cited the need for delimitation and the revision of electoral rolls as the reasons for postponing the elections. They explained that the delimitation process started on October 25 for 93 local bodies in the state. Given the uncertainty surrounding the election schedule, the Uttarakhand government might appoint an administrator for these urban local bodies for the next six months.
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This decision seems to be in contradiction to the Supreme Court’s directive in the Kishan Singh Tomar vs. Central Government case. The court stated that election schedules should be announced six months before the end of the five-year term of municipalities, which is also a constitutional requirement. In cases where a state government dissolves a Panchayat before its five-year term is up, fresh elections must be held within six months of the dissolution.
The response from the State Election Commission highlighted two specific points:
- The expansion of the boundaries of Harbatpur municipality in the Dehradun district, which involves the process of border expansion and delimitation, is expected to take approximately two months.
- A similar time frame is needed for the expansion of boundaries and delimitation of Municipality Narendra Nagar and Nagar Panchayat Kirti Nagar in Tehri district.
Furthermore, the Commission explained that some municipal bodies, such as Nagar Panchayat Gangotri in Uttarkashi, Nagar Panchayat Badrinath in Chamoli district, and Nagar Panchayat Kedarnath in Rudraprayag, are non-elected bodies, meaning elections are not held there. The Bazpur Municipality in Udham Singh Nagar district is set to complete its tenure on July 25, 2024, while the Municipal Corporation Board in Roorkee, Haridwar, will conclude its term on December 2, 2024.
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Additionally, new Nagar Panchayats have been established, including Nagar Panchayat Munsiyari in Pithoragarh district and Nagar Panchayat Nanda Nagar Ghat in Chamoli. The Commission is also planning a campaign for the revision of electoral rolls, except in Herbertpur, Narendranagar, Rudraprayag, and Bajpur. A separate notification has been issued by the Commission for the revision of electoral rolls in Municipal Corporations such as Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Kashipur, Rudrapur, Haldwani-Kathgodam, Kotdwar, and Srinagar.
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