The Arunachal Pradesh Youth Congress (APYC) on Saturday welcomed the Gauhati High Court directive to Arunachal Pradesh Government to conduct panchayat election by December 2018.
The APYC termed the decision as ‘historic and in the interest of the people of the State’.
The Gauhati High Court has issued the directive on Thursday after a writ petition was filed by former Kurung Kumey ZPC Sangha Tagik in its Itanagar permanent bench, appealing for the court’s intervention into the delay in conducting the panchayat election.
The High Court in its judgment stated, “A writ of mandamus is hereby issued to avert a constitutional crisis in the State, directing the government of Arunachal Pradesh to suitably revise its action plan, so as to complete the exercise by 30.11. 2018 and thereafter, the State Election Commission (SEC) shall start its exercise for holding the general election to the panchayats.”
The term of the then three-tier panchayat bodies had expired way back on May 31, but the State Government delayed the polls, citing the change in the structure of the panchayati raj system from three-tier to two-tier.
Addressing a press conference, APYC spokesperson Kalley Rijiju lauded the court’s decision and said, “The election to the panchayat bodies should have been held in May but the BJP-led state government deliberately delayed it for their own reasons.”
Describing the court’s decision as a ‘victory for the people of Arunachal Pradesh,’ APYC spokesperson Kalley Rijiju while interacting with media in Itanagar on Saturday expressed confidence that the State Election Commission would conduct the election on time, as per the court’s directive.
Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president Minkir Lollen also welcomed the court’s decision.
