PANCHAYAT ELECTIONS: Deadline nearing, candidates struggle to get NOC amid chaos

Chaos prevailed at the office of BDPO, Jalandhar East, for a second consecutive day as candidates for the upcoming panchayat elections faced delays in obtaining no-objection certificates (NOCs), essential for filing nomination papers. The deadline for candidates to submit their papers is October 4 and elections are scheduled on October 15.

By the end of office hours at 5 pm, around 1,000 sarpanch and panch candidates from villages around Adampur, Kartarpur and Rama Mandi were still waiting to receive their NOCs. With the next two days being public holidays in Punjab for Gandhi Jayanti and Agrasen Jayanti, many candidates grew anxious, unsure whether they would be able to secure their NOCs in time to participate in the election.

The situation intensified when Adampur Congress MLA Sukhwinder Kotli visited the office, prompting the gathered candidates to raise slogans, criticising the government’s lack of adequate arrangements. SDM Jalandhar-1, Randeep Singh Heer, also arrived and announced that the office would remain open on the holidays to ensure all eligible candidates receive their NOCs. In response, additional counters were set up with the assistance of college teachers and the situation began to stabilise.

Despite this intervention, many candidates expressed frustration over the long wait times. Jaspinder Singh, a panch contender from Hazara village, shared that it was his second day at the office with no progress on his application. Narinder Singh of Dhade village said he had been waiting for eight hours but had not received his certificate.

Sarpanch candidate Meena Kumari and panch candidate Gurpreet Kaur from Raipur Phrala village voiced concerns about the lack of basic amenities at the office, such as food and drinking water. Jasveer Kaur of Chitti village, who had already been elected unanimously as panch, emphasised the necessity of the NOC and expressed frustration at the delay.

As the deadline for nominations approaches, the pressure on candidates to secure their NOCs in time has only intensified, leading to continued unrest and frustration among those still waiting for clearance.

Chulha tax — A pre-requisite for filing papers

• One of the key requirements for obtaining an NOC is the payment of the chulha tax, a historical tax levied on the number of cooking stoves (chulhas) in a household, now paid by candidates during elections to settle any outstanding dues.
• General category candidates are required to pay Rs 140, while those from the SC category pay half. Originally, the tax was collected from households by panchayats and was as low as Rs 2, but it is now only imposed during election periods to ensure candidates' financial obligations to the village are cleared