Election notification for world's largest local bodies polls

113 million voters to exercise franchise in UP panchayat polls

After some delay and much suspense, the balls were set rolling for arguably the world's largest local bodies polls with the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) today issuing notification for the first phase of the state panchayat polls.

The rural local bodies polls would witness 113.60 million voters exercising their franchise at 1,78,000 polling booths to elect members of the kshetra and district panchayats on October 9, 13, 17 and 29. The counting of votes is slated on November 1.

The youth would be the deciding factors in these polls with almost 52 percent of the voters are in the age bracket of 18-35 years, which puts their number at about 59 million voters.

However, the SEC is yet to notify dates for the gram panchayat polls, since the state panchayat raj department is yet to finalise reservation on these seats.

Addressing the media here, State Election Commissioner S K Agarwal said the reservation process was likely to be completed before October 8 and the polls' notification to be issued by November 7, the date on which the term of the incumbent gram pradhans and members expire.

The Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow Bench are hearing two separate petitions on the alleged deliberate tactics by the Akhilesh Yadav government to delay the gram pradhan polls for vested interest. The hearing is scheduled later this month. The petition had prayed that the three polls of gram pradhan, kshetra panchayat and district panchayat be held simultaneously.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged the gram pradhans polls had been delayed to prevent the newly elected gram pradhans to vote for the 36 member of legislative council seats slated early next year.

"The state government is on a sticky wicket in the panchayat polls and is resorting to such tactics to win at any cost," UP BJP spokesperson I P Singh told Business Standard.

About 3,00,000 police and security personnel would be deployed on the polls duty. Agarwal said the Centre had so far not committed paramilitary forces for the panchayat polls to man sensitive polling booths despite repeated requests and representations from the state government and even by himself.

UP had requisitioned 423 companies of paramilitary forces, but the Centre argued there was no such provision for the state level local polls.

With the polls' notification, the model code of conduct has come into force and the process of filing nominations would begin from September 28 for the first phase of polling on October 9.

Meanwhile, the polls have been suspended in Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) owing to legal hurdles relating to the UP Industrial Area Development Act. These polls would be held after fresh delimitation.

A total of 77,576 members of kshetra panchayat and 3,112 members of district panchayats would be elected. There are 817 kshetra panchayats and 75 districts panchayats (including Gautam Budh Nagar) in UP.

For the first time, the SEC has created a new category of 'hypersensitive plus' polling booths apart from normal, sensitive and hypersensitive. In these booths, continues videography would be conducted during voting. The footage would help the SEC to decide in matters of complaints or disputes.