Pyaar Singh Kanwar on Friday alleged serious mismanagement in the ongoing Panchayat elections in Himachal Pradesh, claiming that thousands of government employees deployed on election duty have been deprived of their right to vote.
The BJP State Co-Media Incharge said the issue reflects a major administrative failure of the Congress government and termed it a direct attack on democratic rights.
Kanwar said elections are being conducted in three phases for 3,758 Panchayats, 251 Zila Parishad wards and 1,769 Panchayat Samiti wards across the state, with nearly 13,000 government employees and officials deployed on election duty.
He claimed that around 1,300 polling parties had been formed, with nearly six officials in each party, but no effective arrangements were made to enable polling personnel to cast their votes. According to him, many employees have been unable to vote due to the non-issuance of Election Duty Certificates (EDCs) and deployment outside their constituencies.
The BJP leader said Panchayat elections are often decided by margins of one or two votes, making the denial of voting rights to thousands of employees a serious matter that raises concerns over the transparency and fairness of the electoral process.
He further alleged that employees who spend the entire day ensuring smooth conduct of elections are themselves being denied their constitutional rights, leading to widespread resentment among the workforce.
Kanwar accused the Congress government of weakening democratic institutions, alleging that attempts were first made to delay local body and Panchayati Raj elections and now polling staff are being excluded from voting.
He demanded immediate intervention by the State Election Commission and called for special arrangements to ensure that all employees engaged in election duty are able to exercise their franchise.
“The employees and the public are watching the functioning of the Congress government, and a democratic response will be given in the coming time,” he said.
