Punjab: NOC condition to contest zila parishad, block samiti polls goes

The Punjab State Election Commission has done away with the requirement of obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) to contest the zila parishad and block samiti polls.

The commission said if those wanting to contest the elections were unable to obtain the certificate, they could simply file an affidavit stating there were no outstanding dues against them and they weren’t possessing any property illegally.

Affidavits can be verified and attested by an executive magistrate or oath commissioner, broadening the avenues through which candidates can obtain necessary papers.

The returning officer will accept such nominations and send the affidavits to the relevant authority, which must respond within 24 hours.

If no report is received within this deadline, the candidate will be presumed not to be a defaulter or unauthorised occupant of a property.

Plaints from parties

The move, being interpreted as an attempt to simplify the nomination process, comes amid allegations that Block Development Panchayat Officers were delaying the issue of the NOC at the behest of AAP to prevent Opposition candidates from contesting the polls.

In a letter to the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer on Monday, state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring had sought his intervention over the issue.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) too had taken up the issue with the poll panel.

The NOC is issued by the Block Development and Panchayats Officer, clearing that the leader wanting to contest the polls has not defaulted on panchayat taxes. It was a mandatory step before filing nominations till now.

According to the election schedule, nominations can be filed between December 1 and 4 while the papers will be scrutinised on December 5. The papers can be withdrawn on December 6.

Referred to earlier notification

The panel issued the order referring to its earlier notification released on September 26 last year. “Directions regarding the updated nomination process have been issued to all district election and returning officers,” the commission said on its official website. Arshdeep Singh Kler, SAD’s legal cell head, said a representation in this regard was submitted to the commission while a plea was filed in the High Court seeking relief. “Fortunately, the situation was simplified after the commission issued a notification,” he said.

Chulha tax

One of the key requirements for obtaining an NOC is the payment of the chulha tax, a levy based on the number of cooking stoves in a household. Earlier collected by panchayats and as low as Rs 2, the tax is now imposed only during election periods to ensure that candidates have cleared outstanding dues.