From Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, May 28: Ending the uncertainty over the term of the Gram Panchayats (GPs), the State Election Commission (SEC) has finally taken the decision to postpone the elections to the lowest rung of the panchayat raj institutions citing 'exceptional circumstances' prevailing in Karnataka following the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Elections to as many as 5,800 GPs scheduled to be held by next month with the ending of their terms have now been put off. The next schedule of holding elections has not been indicated. The term of the 5,800 rural lowest rung of the local bodies out of the 6,025 GPs are due to end in June-August months.

The SEC has announced in an official press release that under Section 243-K of the Constitution it is empowered to postpone elections to GPs.

Under the present unavoidable circumstances, the SEC has decided to postpone elections to GPs temporarily, it said. The opposition Congress and JD(S) had opposed the postponement of GPs elections.

The SEC had sought the views of deputy commissioners the districts on the viability of holding elections to GPs in June-July.

A majority of deputy commissioners have submitted their written suggestions to the commission seeking to defer elections to GPs by 2-3 months. The SEC said it had commenced work related to preparation of electoral roll and reservation of seats as per the newly amended Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993.

But the work remained incomplete as over 50 per cent of the staff stayed home and did not attend offices during the lockdown. The Congress leaders had submitted a petition to the SEC seeking elections as per the schedule.

The Congress leaders had demanded the SEC to hold elections as per the Panchayat Raj Act, 1993.

Both the Congress and JD(S) have also demanded that instead of appointing administrators to run the GPs during the present lockdown situation, it would be advisable to continue the terms of the existing bodies until fresh elections could be held as the elected representatives would be in a better position to interact with the people.