April 24, 2024
April 24, 2024
Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Apr 20: The State Election Commission (SEC) is set to issue notification for the conduct of municipality election, but is yet to receive the go-ahead from the State government for the Panchayat elections.
The current term of the municipalities of Itanagar and Pasighat will expire on April 31. The SEC has scheduled the dates for the election under the constitutional provision of Article 243ZA and 243 U (3) and the relevant provision of Arunachal Pradesh Municipal Election Act 2009 and Rules 2011.
“The date of issue of notification for the municipal election is May 1, the last date of filing of nomination is May 8, scrutiny is on May 10, last date of withdrawal of candidature is May 14 and date of poll is May 29. The counting will be on May 31 and the process of completion of election will be over by June 7,” Chief Election Commissioner Hage Kojeen said.
He also said the municipal election officers or returning officers are being directed to hold meetings with political parties and candidates in presence of observer-officer after finalisation of contesting candidates for clarifying any doubts about statutory requirement that they need to fulfill and observe.
“The model code of conduct will come into force from the date of announcement. All political parties, party workers, candidates and their agents are expected to abide by the model code of conduct specified by the SEC,” Kojeen said.
“There would be two observer-officers for Itanagar and one for Pasighat Municipality,” he said, adding that it will be made available on SEC’s official website www.secap.nic.in.
There are 30 wards under Itanagar Municipality with 64,77,99 electors and 56 polling stations while Pasighat Municipality has 12 wards with 9,646 electors and 12 polling stations, Kojeen said.
Kojeen said that the SEC had on February 19 written to Chief Minister Pema Khandu for holding the Panchayat polls followed by reminders on April 11 but has not received any reply yet.
The term of the Panchayats expired on April 13.
The SEC has already sent a draft Panchayat notification to government for final approval to get financial and manpower support to conduct the rural polls, Kojeen said. “Since there is no provision to postpone the Panchayat elections, SEC has a legal option for holding the election,” he added.
The state government did reply on April 13, saying it would not be proper to conduct the rural polls since the Assembly had passed the Arunachal Pradesh Panchayat Raj Amendment Bill 2018 during the last Budget session. As such, the changes – from three-tier to two-tier structure – would have to be incorporated first, the government maintained.
Kojeen said the SEC was not consulted before the bill was passed. “The government should come out with the date and time for the Panchayat polls,” he said.
The SEC had earlier proposed a schedule for the Panchayat elections – April 13 as date of issue of notification, April 20 as last date of filing of nomination, April 26 as last date of withdrawal of nomination and May 14 as the date of poll.
