The Haryana State Election Commission on Friday announced the poll schedule for all three tiers of panchayati raj institutions in 10 districts of Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Mahendergarh, Nuh, Panchkula, Panipat and Yamunanagar. The zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections will be held on October 30, while the panchayat poll will be conducted on November 2.
Addressing a news conference in Panchkula, State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh said that the poll schedule for the remaining 12 districts would be announced later. With this, the model code of conduct has come into force in the 10 districts going to the polls in the first phase. “No official connected with election work shall be transferred from his/her present place of posting till the completion of poll process,” Singh said.
Haryana has 22 zila parishads, comprising 411 members. The members will in turn elect the 22 zila parishad chiefs. The state has 143 panchayat samitis, comprising 3,081 members, who will further elect their respective president. The state has 6,220 gram panchayats, where more than 61,000 panches will be elected and 6,220 sarpanches will be chosen directly by villagers. The counting of voters of sarpanches and panches will be done immediately after polling gets over on November 2. The outcome of the zila parishad and panchayat samiti will be declared later, he said.
He informed that the state government cannot announce any new schemes, new projects etc. in the rural areas of these districts. In the districts where the model code of conduct is in force, the government cannot inaugurate or lay the foundation stone for any building, project, etc, he added.
Later, presiding over the state-level meeting with the top official regarding the conduct of general elections of three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Singh said, “Departments including Police, Health, Power, Excise and Taxation and others should work amicably to ensure peaceful, free and fair poll.” Singh further said that elaborate arrangements are being made by the police for the conduct of elections in a fair, transparent and peaceful manner. An adequate police force shall be deployed to maintain law and order at the polling stations and extra police force will be provided in sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas. The additional police force should be deployed at these booths, he added.