BENGALURU: The State Election Commission (SEC) has taken a clear stand to go ahead with elections to Gram Panchayats (GPs), as per the tentative schedule submitted to the Karnataka High Court in a sealed cover. Senior counsel KN Phanindra, representing the SEC, submitted before a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Ashok S Kinagi that the SEC has decided to hold elections to GPs as per the s chedul e plac e d before court.
The SEC’s submission came in response to directions issued by the court to take a clear stand, so that it could pass orders after examining arguments of the State, which intended to postpone elections. The bench had asked the SEC to spell out its stand after the court was informed at the last hearing that the State government had written to the SEC to postpone Gram Panchayats polls in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The SEC’s counsel submitted that the State government had on Thursday evening written one more letter to the SEC, seeking to postpone elections.
If elections are postponed, it will derail the election schedule of other local bodies, including the BBMP, he argued. Meanwhile, the government advocate submitted that the government’s request came in view of all three political parties jointly requesting that polls be postponed. The State Election Commission’s counsel clarified that only two parties requested this. Referring to assembly elections in Bihar, the bench asked why it was difficult to hold Gram Panchayats polls. The government advocate sought t ime for the Advocate General to defend the stand of the government, and the bench adjourned the next hearing to October 21