Candidates debarred to contest panchayat election on party symbols in Punjab

CHANDIGARH: With panchayat polls to be announced any time now in the state, the Punjab cabinet today amended the Punjab Panchayat Rules, debarring the candidates to contest panchayat elections for sarpanch and panch on party symbols.

The state cabinet today gave the nod to amend Rule 12 of the Punjab Panchayat Election Rules 1994 thereby debarring the candidates to contest elections of Panchayati Raj Institutions on party symbols.

The cabinet observed that contesting elections on party symbols leads to many unwanted incidents. Further, Political groups in Panchayats stall the utilization of funds and grants leaving huge amounts of unused money, which can be duly used to promote development in rural areas.

The political groupism also causes disunity in the working of Panchayats which leads to their incomplete quorum thereby leading to non-utilization of grants. Also, political affiliations of panchayat members create instances of violent clashes during and after elections among various party groups at village level which deteriorates the law and order situation and also adversely affects the social fabric of rural society.