Perils of postponement

Delay in local body elections weakens grassroots democracy and affects governance

- PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR

THREE DECADES AFTER the idea of decentralisation of powers became law, making three-tier governance a fundamental pillar of Indian polity, local self-governments face the threat of redundancy. Delayed municipal and panchayat elections have become commonplace, with state governments often offering excuses to postpone these polls.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) last month, agreed to examine the "genuineness" of the reasons cited by states for not holding elections to panchayats and municipalities. The court directed the petitioner to categorise the states based on their reasons for the delay, facilitating the issuance of orders for immediate elections.

The PIL was filed by ISHAD (International Society for Human Awakening and Development), an NGO, which collected responses under the Right to Information Act (RTI) from 17 state election commissions (SECs). The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution granted constitutional status to panchayats and municipal bodies, promoting local self-governance-a step towards realising Mahatma Gandhi's vision of 'Gram Swaraj. Activists, however, warn that the trend of delayed elections threatens the principle of decentralisation.

"At least 85,000 of the 1.5 lakh local bodies across 17 states have not held elections. There is a clear pattern to these delays. As per Articles 243-E and 243-U, elections to panchayats and municipalities must be conducted before the expiry of the five-year term of the outgoing body. However, SECS have failed to conduct timely elections due to various reasons," the petitioner stated.