"False propaganda that govt doesn't want Panchayati Raj elections:" Media advisor to Himachal CM on HC's order

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 10 (ANI): Principal Media Advisor to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, Naresh Chauhan, said that the state government has always been in favour of the Panchayat elections and the opposition's claims are nothing more than "false propaganda."
Speaking with ANI after the Himachal Pradesh High Court's direction to conduct Panchayati Raj elections before April 30, Naresh Chauhan said, "Just like the CM said, we will review the order, and take a further decision. The state government has always been in favour of the elections, and delimitation of wards is going on as of now... What were the remarks of the High Court on this? That was also the High Court's order. The Disaster Act is already in force. The government will look into whether elections clash with students' exams, and then we will request 10-15 days."
"This is false propaganda that the government does not want an election. The opposition does not have any other issues to speak about," Naresh Chauhan added.
Petitioner's Advocate Nand Lal Thakur flagged the completion of the tenure of Panchayati Raj institutions and said that the process should've been initiated in November.
"Four municipal corporations completed their tenure in mid-January 2026, five municipal panchayats also completed their tenure, and the tenure of Panchayati Raj institutions ended on January 31, 2026. Therefore, the election process should have been initiated in November itself," Nand Lal Thakur said.
Speaking about the government's reasoning of the delimitation process, he said, "If delimitation were to be undertaken, public opinion and objections should have been invited, and the process completed by July 2025. Copies of the relevant communications were also sent to the State Election Commission, which had expressed its disagreement with the government's decision."
Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the State Election Commission to ensure that elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are conducted at the earliest and, in any case, before April 30, holding that elected local bodies cannot be allowed to continue beyond their five-year constitutional term on the pretext of administrative delays or disaster-related orders.
A division bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Romesh Verma passed the order while deciding a public interest litigation filed by Dikken Kumar Thakur and another petitioner, who sought directions to the state and the State Election Commission to hold Panchayat elections before the expiry of the present term on January 31, as mandated under Article 243-E of the Constitution.
The High Court held that while the Disaster Management Act is a special statute meant to deal with emergencies, it cannot override constitutional provisions or the authority of a constitutional body like the State Election Commission.
The state government had also cited pending delimitation, court cases relating to the reorganisation of local bodies, and amendments to election rules as reasons for the delay. However, the bench held that delimitation is a continuous exercise and cannot be used as a ground to defer elections that are constitutionally due.
The Court relied on several Supreme Court judgments, including Kishansing Tomar v. Municipal Corporation of Ahmedabad, Suresh Mahajan v. State of Madhya Pradesh and Rahul Ramesh Wagh v. State of Maharashtra, to reiterate that elections to local bodies must be completed before the expiry of their term and that administrative or legislative delays cannot defeat this mandate. (ANI)