Delimitation to be completed by September 12: Panchayat polls may be advanced to Feb

“Initially, there was a proposal for holding the panchayat elections in December this year. But the Election Commission told the government that the delimitation (rearrangement of area) was last carried out in 2013 and it has to be done every 10 years according to the rule,” said an official of the state Department of Panchayats and Rural Development.

He added, “In that case, holding elections at least 75 days before the completion of delimitation would result in legal complications. The government agreed to the commission. This is the reason the elections will be held in February.”

Election Commission officials said they could have to postpone the polls had they coincided with the secondary school examinations. It was for this reason that the government and the commission thought it fit carry out the exercise in February, they further said.

In a meeting with all district officials, State Election Commissioner Saurabh Das directed that delimitation should be completed by September 12 and the process to select reserve seats must be over by September 16. While the minimum number of gram panchayat members should be 5, the number shall not exceed 30, he said.

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“A village panchayat with a population of less than 4,500 can have one panchayat samiti member. A village panchayat with a population of less than 9,000 can appoint two panchayat samiti members. They can have three members if the number is more than 9,500,” an official said.

A zila parishad can have a member if the population of a block is 60,000, two if it is between 60,000 and 120,000 and three if the number is more, it is learnt.