UP: Issue notification for urban local bodies polls within 10 days, rules HC

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court on Monday directed BSP government and State Election Commission (SEC) to issue the notification for urban local bodies and mayoral elections in the state within 10 days. The HC directed chief secretary to submit a compliance report before court on December 19.
A division bench comprising Justice DP Singh and Justice SC Chaurasia had reserved the order on Friday last when state government had submitted that it was ready to issue notifications for local bodies' elections in the state after two months.The state government stated that it would wait for a week to obtain necessary information registrar general, Census, about the 2011 Census data. If no information is received, the government would proceed on the basis of the 2001 Census. The government also informed that the delimitation of ward has been completed.
As per rules, the urban local bodies elections should have been held before November 30, the date of expiry of the previously elected bodies. However, the government decided to postpone the elections on grounds that caste-wise and ward-wise Census 2011 population data is not available for delimitation of wards. The decision was challenged in the high court which in November directed the conduct elections as early as possible. The court had then also ruled that if 2011 Census data is not available, the elections can be held on the basis of 2001 Census.
However, the state government filed a review petition seeking more time for the preparation of elections. The court has, after hearing various parties in the case, now directed government to issue notification within 10 days. The decision is seen as a set back for the ruling BSP which wanted to avoid urban local bodies polls. The reason: The BSP does not have a strong urban base, hence a loss in local bodies may have a negative impact on assembly elections due in next three months.
Significantly, earlier this year the government had tried to avoid direct elections by making two amendments in the local bodies poll -- elections for the municipal corporations and municipalities not to be held on political party symbols and that the elections for the post of mayor and municipal chairpersons will be indirect. The decision of not holding elections on party symbol was quashed by high court in May this year. The government has filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court. On the other hand, the governor has not approved the UP Urban Local Self Government Act (second amendment) 2011 providing indirect mayoral elections.