The Uttarakhand High Court has put a stay on the upcoming Panchayat elections in the state, directing that the reservation process be revised and carried out afresh. Earlier, the Election Commission had announced that polls would be held in two phases to elect thousands of Gram Pradhans, Gram Panchayat, Kshetra Panchayat, and Zila Panchayat members. Now, with the High Court’s intervention, the election schedule will have to be updated once the new reservation roster is finalised.

Uttarakhand Panchayat Elections

The Election Commission had released the complete schedule for the Panchayat elections in Uttarakhand. The elections were to be conducted in two phases across the state, with voting planned for the posts of Gram Pradhan, Gram Panchayat members, Kshetra Panchayat members, and Zila Panchayat members.

This time, voters were set to elect a total of 74,499 Gram Pradhans, 55,600 Gram Panchayat members, 2,974 Kshetra Panchayat members, and 358 Zila Panchayat members.

According to the announced timeline, the District Election Officer was to issue a detailed notification on June 23. Nomination papers could then be filed from June 25 to June 28.

The scrutiny of nomination papers was scheduled to be completed between June 29 and July 1, while July 2 was set as the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures.

The allocation of election symbols for the first phase was planned for July 3, with voting to be held on July 10. For the second phase, symbols were to be distributed on July 8, and voting was scheduled for July 15. Counting of votes for both phases was to take place on July 18.

Model Code of Conduct Enforced in Uttarakhand

The State Election Commissioner had stated that preparations for the Panchayat elections were underway on a war footing. Strict instructions had been issued to the district administration to ensure free and fair elections. The Model Code of Conduct had also been enforced to prevent any disruption of the election process.

Candidates contesting the elections were instructed to adhere to the schedule and complete all nomination and related procedures on time. The Election Commission had activated its monitoring system to maintain transparency throughout the process.

With the announcement by the State Election Commission, the stage for the Panchayat elections had been set in Uttarakhand, and political activities had gained momentum in the villages. Candidates had begun chalking out strategies to secure power at the Panchayat level.