Gujarat local bodies polls to be over by December 25: State Election Commission tells HC

AHMEDABAD: A day after the Gujarat High Court rapped the State Election Commission (SEC) over the delay in the conduct of the local bodies polls in the state, the poll watchdog today submitted that these elections will be completed by December 25.

"It has been submitted that the Election Commission is preparing to file an affidavit for declaring the dates of elections of local bodies in the state that will be completed by December 25, 2015," a division bench of acting HC Chief Justice Jayant Patel and Justice N V Anjaria said.

"The affidavit shall be filed during the course of the day today. The original files of the state Election Commission (about the election process) are called for and that shall be retained in the safe custody of Registrar (judicial) until the pronouncement of the order on October 21," the HC added.

The petition had been filed by Virendra Vaghela, Vice President of Gandhinagar District Panchayat and a Congress member, and Jagdish Bhatt, citizen of Umrada Taluka Panchayat of Bhavnagar District, through their advocate and Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil.

SEC had on October 4 announced postponement of the polls to various local bodies in the state, citing law and order situation as a reason.

Last month, government had issued an ordinance by which these polls could be delayed in view of the law and order situation.

However, the petition argued that the ordinance is in violation of the constitutional schemes. The plea sought HC's direction to SEC to issue a notification for holding election of panchayats before expiry of the term.

The Commission's notification stated that elections to six municipal corporations, 56 municipalities, 230 taluka panchayats and 31 district panchayats were expected to be held between October and November this year as the term of these bodies is expiring in the period, but now they will take a call on it after three months.