Patna: The Patna High Court on Thursday sought responses from the Bihar government and the State Election Commission on a petition seeking timely Panchayat elections in the state.
A bench headed by Justice A. Abhishek Reddy issued notices to both authorities and directed them to file affidavits explaining the current status of preparations for the elections.
The petition was filed by Mohan Prasad Chaurasia and others, who have urged the authorities to announce the elections before the tenure of the existing Panchayati Raj institutions expires.
Petitioners cite constitutional provisions
Advocates SBK Mangalam and Avnish, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that they had approached it because of what they described as a lackadaisical approach by the state government and the State Election Commission.
The petition relies on provisions of the Constitution and the Panchayati Raj Act to argue that elections to Panchayati Raj institutions must be held within the prescribed timeframe.
The petitioners also referred to a Supreme Court ruling on timely elections to constitutional bodies and argued that the announcement of the Bihar Panchayat polls should not be delayed.
Current panchayat term ends in 2026
The five-year term of Bihar’s existing Panchayati Raj institutions is due to end at the close of 2026.
The previous Panchayat elections were held in 2021, with polling conducted in multiple phases between September and December.
The petition has raised questions over whether the next election process will be completed before the current representatives’ tenure ends.
Delimitation underway
Meanwhile, preparations for the next elections are underway, including the delimitation of Panchayat constituencies across Bihar.
New boundaries for Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads are being determined using the 2011 Census data.
The reservation position for the newly defined constituencies will be finalised after the delimitation process is completed. This will determine the allocation of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Extremely Backward Classes and women.
Voter rolls, polling stations to follow
Once delimitation and reservation are completed, the authorities will have to prepare updated voter lists and finalise polling stations.
The petitioners contend that these steps could take several months and that delaying the election announcement could create difficulties in completing the process within the constitutional timeframe.
The court’s next course of action will depend on the affidavits filed by the state government and the State Election Commission, which are expected to clarify the status of the election preparations and the proposed timeline.
