10 days on, MC yet to give fresh date to elect Panchkula Mayor’s deputies

Ten days after the polls for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor were deferred, Panchkula Municipal Corporation has failed to announce the revised dates. While corporation Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said the next date would be announced in about a week, insiders say the councillors themselves lack interest in the elections as both parties lack a clear majority. The councillors are also wary of cross-voting.

The elections to the two posts were supposed to be held on November 4, but were deferred, citing a sudden illness of the returning officer, the Municipal Joint Commissioner Simranjeet Kaur. The next day, leaders of the two political parties—Congress and BJP—were involved in mudslinging, blaming the other party for trying to sway the elections by using money and pressuring tactics. The elections have been delayed for nearly four years after the MC House was formed in December 2020.

Mayor Goyal, when contacted, said they were yet to decide the next date of the elections. “A new Corporation Commissioner has joined Panchkula. She is looking at the whole city; therefore, we are cooperating with her. But, nevertheless, the matter is on our mind, and we will take a decision on the matter.”

The Congress Party Councillor of Ward 20 Salim Dabkouri said they had earlier filed a petition in the court; as a result, the election date of November 4 was decided. “Now, we have prepared to go to court again and file contempt proceedings for not holding the elections. We will file the contempt petition soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, insiders in the corporation pointed out that councillors of both parties had lost interest in holding the elections. One pointed out, “The elections to the two posts have been delayed since the formation of the MC House in 2020 due to differences among themselves. The councillors of both the BJP and Congress fear their own party leaders would not support them in the elections and could indulge in cross-voting.”

A councillor requesting anonymity said, “The Congress leaders had gone to court before the Assembly elections as they were expecting a favourable result in the polls, which they wanted to cash in the elections to the two MC posts with the help of the state government. But some of them have lost interest as they have only eight councillors against the BJP’s 11, along with the mayor. Three councillors—an independent and one each from Congress and JJP—jumped ship and joined the BJP.”