The much-awaited panchayat polls in Haryana will be held next year in three phases on January 10, 17 and 24. The polling will be held in 6,198 gram panchayats, 21 zila parishads and 126 panchayat samitis, said State Election Commissioner Rajiv Sharma while addressing a Press conference at Panchkula on Tuesday.
With announcement of the elections, the model code of conduct has come into force in the area of panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) where the polls will be conducted. The election process would be completed by February 15.
The counting of votes for the panches and sarpanches would be taken up on the same day at the polling stations itself, whereas, the counting of votes for election to the offices of members panchayat samiti and zila parishad would be taken up on January 28, 2016 at the place specified by concerned District Election Officer. The casting of ballot would be conducted from 7:30 am to 4 pm, said Sharma.
As the Supreme Court has upheld the new Panchati Raj Amendment Act – 2015, now the elections to the PRIs would be held as per the new Act.
He said that the candidates who have already filed the nominations as per the amended Act need not to file fresh nominations, but have to file a fresh declarations or affidavit along with the required documents before the returning officer concerned during the period specified for the same.
He said that elections would be conducted for 416 members of 21 zila parishads, 3,001 posts of 126 panchayat samitis and 6,198 posts and 62,492 posts of sarpanches and panches. The notification for the first phase of the elections would be issued on December 17, that of phase two would be issued on December 23 and of phase three would be issued on December 30.
For the first time, the multi post EVMs will be used in Panchkula and Rewari districts only where elections for sarpanch, members of zila parishad, members of Panchayat Samiti would be conducted through EVMs.
Sharma said while elections for sarpanch and members of zila parishad would be conducted through EVMs, ballot paper would be used for elections for panches and members of panchayat samitis except in districts namely Panchkula and Rewari.
About 45,000 EVMs of single post, and 1300 Control Units (CUs) and 2600 Balloting Units (BUs) of multi post EVMs would be used during the polls. The elections of remaining seats of panches and member panchayat samitis would be conducted by the use of ballot papers and for this purpose around 45,000 ballot boxes would be used.
In reply to a question, Sharma said that election of member panchayat samiti and zila parishad could be contested on party symbol. Three political parties namely Bahujan Samaj Party, SAD and CPIM have written to the Commission expressing their desire to contest election on party symbol.
Regarding educational qualifications of the contesting candidates, Sharma said that list of recognized schools have been uploaded on the website of Board of School Education, Haryana. Apart from this, Education Department has been asked to depute an officer in the Commission office to verify the certificates of contesting candidates.
On the criterias fixed for contesting the panchayat elections, the EC has decided that since it is not possible to verify the declarations of all the candidates, the same would be verified if a complaint is received regarding any candidate. In case of found guilty, the candidate would not be able to contest the elections in the future.
The new Panchayati Act stipulates that general-category candidates for panchayat polls must have a minimum qualification of completing class 10. Scheduled caste and women aspirants are required to clear class 8 while women from the SC category will be eligible only if they have passed class.
Apart from mandatory educational qualifications for the candidates, the Act makes it mandatory that poll candidates have a functional toilet at home. Anyone found defaulting in payment of agricultural loan and electricity bills will also be disqualified.
Meanwhile, more than one lakh workers would be deputed for the conduct of the election process in Haryana.
Notably, the Commission had on September 8 issued the programme for the conduct of elections to Panchayati Raj institutions in the state, as per which the panchayat polls were to be conducted in three phases on October 4, 11 and 18. But the model code was put on hold from September 24 in view of the Supreme Court hearing the petition challenging the validity of Haryana's Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act 2015 which fixed matriculation as essential qualification for general candidates contesting panchayat polls.