Assam Chief Minister Announces Panchayat Elections for April Following High Court Approval

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed on Sunday that the Panchayat elections in the state are going to take place in April.

This comes after the Gauhati High Court recently gave permission for the elections. Sarma explained that while the elections could technically be held by mid-February, conducting them during the class 10 and 12 examinations would present significant challenges for students in rural areas and also complicate the logistics of securing venues for vote counting.

The Chief Minister said the state administration is examining the possibility of conducting the elections in the middle of April around the Bihu festival. Earlier, the High Court had directed that no notification for the Panchayat elections be issued before January 8. The state government has filed an application for reconsideration of the order of the court and highlighted that the elections should be conducted on time. The court has ordered the plaintiffs to file their responses by January 12. It has also ordered those copies of the government's application be supplied to all parties so that there is transparency in the matter.

Earlier, Sarma had stated that the Panchayat elections would be held as per the scheduled dates. However, the notification process was halted as the court restricted it. The government has requested the court to let the elections be held without further legal complications as there are still some petitions filed against discrepancies in the constituency redetermination process.

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