Haryana panchayat polls: Voting for block samiti, zila parishad to commence on Oct 30; panch and sarpanch on Nov 2

According to the official statement, polls will be held in 10 districts during the first phase and the candidates should file their nomination before October 10. The districts that are going to the polls in the first phase are Bhiwani, Fatehbad, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Mahendargarh, Nuh, Panchkula, Panipat, and Yamuna Nagar. The schedule for the remaining 12 districts will be announced later, the poll body stated.

Even though the State Election Commission had earlier expressed its inability to hold polls before September 30 this year stating that the state government has not supplied requisite information, it was known through sources that the election would be held by November 30, keeping in view a proposal sent by the Haryana government. It is believed that the state government is keen to implement the quota for Backward Classes before holding the panchayat polls.

Meanwhile, Haryana BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar had said that the district units would take a call on whether to contest the zila parishad polls on party symbol or not. After a meeting of BJP leaders in Panchkula on Thursday, which was also addressed by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Dhankar said both types of opinions were coming from different district units as some wanted that the zila parishad election should be contested on party symbol while others were not in favour of this idea. The BJP has made it clear that it won’t contest the panchayat election on party symbol. Congress, which also decided to not the panchayat polls on party symbol, is expected to meet today to decide party strategy.