The elections of the urban local bodies scheduled to be held before July 15, are likely to be postponed till October-November. The urban development department has initiated the process of appointing the administrators in the municipal corporations, municipal boards and town areas known as nagar panchyats. The term of all the municipal corporations known as Nagar nigam and municipal boards called Nagar palika parishad ends in second week of July. In case of few urban local bodies the terms ends in August.
The State election Commission had drawn plans for the elections in June and also held divisional meetings with the district officers to review the progress of rapid survey, revision of electoral rolls. The state government has however indicated to the Commission to put all things on hold and concentrate on the rapid survey and revision of the electoral rolls. As per the legislation governing the elections the state government has the authority to issue the notification for the elections and the commission takes the follow up action.\
"If the elections are not held by July -August, then the Government will have no other option but to appoint administrators till the new local bodies are constituted," officials here said.
Official sources here today said that all the District Magistrates have been asked to furnish the details of each urban local body in their respective districts about the date when the first meetings of the local bodies were held in 2012. The term of the local bodies start from the day of the first meeting. In 2012, the first meeting of most of the urban local bodies was held in July. As per the directives of the State election commission all elected urban local bodies were required to hold the first meeting within the one month of the election.
Meanwhile, the Government has ordered for a rapid caste survey for the reservation of wards for the different categories like SC, OBCs and women in urban local bodies. The State election Commission had started the process of the rapid survey for the reservation. The state government had however expressed its dissatisfaction over the process and called for detailed survey. The State Government ordered a fresh rapid survey of the OBC population in the State to be completed in the next 45 days. Moreover the electoral rolls of the urban local bodies are full of flaws and needs to be updated.
Official sources said the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hinted several times in May that the urban local bodies polls could be postponed but the government is yet to announce the decision. The State Election Commission refused to comment about the election schedule saying ``it’s for the government to decide’’.
"I have no knowledge whether the elections would be postponed. It is up to the State Government to decide. So far there is no official communication from the state government and we are making our preparations as per the schedule for holding the elections in June’’, said SK Agarwal, State election commissioner.