No time left, Shimla MC poll all set to be deferred

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, May 25

The Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) elections will not be held before June 18 when the term of the current councillors expires.

“There’s no time left to conduct the elections before June 18,” said a state Election Commission official here today.

The election-related process ended on March 15 when Simi Nanda, councillor from Nabha, challenged the delimitation process in the High Court, which ordered ‘status quo’.

The hearing in the case is over and the verdict is awaited. The Bench that heard the petition has reserved its judgment.

“Even if the judgment comes tomorrow, we will not be able to complete the process in time to conduct the elections before June 18,” the official said.

He said that it would take around two months to conduct the elections from the day the verdict is pronounced. “We need around one month to make the voters’ list and another 20 to 25 days to complete the process, including nomination, scrutiny, campaigning etc,” he added.

Once the term of the current House expires, the government would appoint an administrator to run the Municipal Corporation.

The Election Commission is still awaiting the court verdict. “Several posts in panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) have fallen vacant in the past few months and the election to these posts is due. If the court verdict isn’t delayed, the commission will hold the elections to the Municipal Corporation and these posts together,” the official said.

Most of the PRI posts that have fallen vacant are of ward members at the panchayat level, except for a Zila Parishad post in Jhakari ward in Shimla district.

Former Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan said: “It’s for the first time in the past 20 to 25 years that the MC elections will not be held on time. Now, the government will appoint an administrator once the term of the elected members is over. In the absence of elected members, the administrator can take arbitrary decisions”.

“It’s not good for democracy. The government could have shown urgency in the court to get the matter disposed of,” he added.

Need one month to prepare voters’ list

We need around one month to make the voters’ list and another 20 to 25 days to complete the process of nomination, scrutiny and campaigning. — A state EC official