Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

Four-phase panchayat polls in U.P.

Poll process starts on July 30; model code comes into force

LUCKNOW: A day after the Allahabad High Court dismissed writ petitions challenging the reservation provision in the Panchayat elections, the State Election Commission on Tuesday announced the dates for the gram panchayat elections to be held in four phases from August 17.

Announcing the dates of the polls, State Election Commissioner Aparmita Prasad Singh said the first phase of polling would be held on August 17, followed by the second, third and final phases on August 20, 23 and 25 respectively.

The notification for the elections of Pradhans and Panchayat members has been issued and with it the model code of conduct also comes into existence, Mr Singh added.

He said filing of nominations for the first phase will start on July 30 and end on August 1 followed by second phase (August 2 to 4), third (August 5 to 7) and the final phase (August 7 to 9).

The counting of votes will be held on August 28 at block level, Mr Singh said, adding that the newly elected pradhans and members would take charge of their post by August 31.

Mr Singh said the Panchayat elections would be followed by block and district panchayat polls to be held by October 14.

Mr Singh said State police and PAC personnel would take care of the security arrangements during the polls and central forces would not be deployed. Police personnel from neighbouring Uttaranchal, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh are also likely to be posted, he added.

On Monday, the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court comprising Justices Jagdish Bhalla and M A Khan, dismissed a bunch of petitions filed by Krishna Dutt Mishra and others, seeking quashing of UP Government order providing reservation in the Panchayat polls.

The petitioners had contended that the State Government had not followed the norms to identify reserved seats in the polls. They had alleged the delimitation adopted by U.P. was against the provisions of law.

The petitioners had urged the High Court to summon the records pertaining to the rapid survey conducted to ascertain the number of persons belonging to the Backward Class and others. -- UNI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Four-phase panchayat polls in U.P.
EC for two-child norm
Monsoon gathers steam in U.P.

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu