The Punjab Congress on Tuesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the delimitation of wards for panchayat elections. Filed in the shape of a PIL,the petition will come up for hearing on Wednesday. State Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa and CLP leader Sunil Jakhar will appear personally before the court to contest the petition. As many as 22 deputy commissioners,Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Surjit Singh Rakhra,Punjab State Election Commission and the financial commissioner have been made respondents in the PIL. The party has contended that delimitation of wards for panchayat elections has been carried out in an arbitrary manner. Alleging that the state authorities were wreaking havoc in Punjab and acting in a most illegal,arbitrary and whimsical manner,the party claimed that the minister in-charge of rural development was interfering in the process of wardbandi at every level through MLAs at the local level. The petitioner has demanded that the necessary provisions of Punjab Panchayati Raj Act-1994 be declared illegal in so far as they exclude the role/superintendence,direction and control of State Election Commission in the formulation of wardbandi in gram sabhas. The party has also sought directions to the Punjab government and other respondents to undertake,complete and finalise the entire process of wardbandi in all gram sabhas in all districts of Punjab. Demanding the quashing of the entire process of wardbandi,the party has stated that all subsequent proceedings regarding preparation or revision of voter lists be initiated on the basis of legally held wardbandi and reservation in Punjab.
