Shimla, April 1
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on Wednesday as the opposition BJP staged a walkout over the state government’s decision to give deputy commissioners limited powers to modify reservation rosters for panchayat elections. The issue triggered a sharp confrontation during the budget session, with BJP legislators accusing the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government of interfering in the democratic process at the grassroots level. The opposition also protested outside the House and raised slogans against the government.
The row began when BJP MLA Randhir Sharma moved an adjournment motion, demanding a full discussion on the government’s decision to allow district authorities to make up to 5% changes in the reservation roster for panchayat elections. However, the Speaker did not accept the adjournment motion, leading to strong objections from the opposition.
Although the matter was later taken up for a short discussion under Rule 67, tempers remained high throughout the proceedings. As the protest intensified, the House was briefly adjourned till 11:30am. When the Assembly met again, BJP members walked out in protest. With no further business listed, the House was later adjourned for the day.
The BJP described the issue as serious and said the government’s move could affect the fairness of the panchayat elections. Randhir Sharma alleged that the reservation roster had not been issued on time and that the government released a notification late at night with retrospective effect. He also objected to the new provision allowing deputy commissioners to alter the reservation roster by up to 5%, saying it could weaken trust in the election process.
He said panchayats are the foundation of democracy and that any attempt to alter reservation arrangements at the last moment raises concerns over transparency and fairness.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu dismissed the allegations and accused the BJP of creating unnecessary disruption. He said the opposition was divided and was turning every issue into a political controversy.
Defending the government’s decision, the chief minister said the 5% relaxation had been introduced to correct long-standing imbalances in the reservation system. According to him, some panchayats had remained reserved for the same category for years, while in some places certain communities had no representation at all. In other cases, reservation had been applied even where the population of the concerned category was negligible.
Sukhu said the limited power given to deputy commissioners was aimed at making the reservation system more practical and equitable. He insisted the government had no intention of manipulating the panchayat elections and said the step was taken to ensure that all communities get fair representation.
He added that if the government had any hidden agenda, it could have allowed much wider changes instead of restricting the provision to just 5%.
The clash over the issue is likely to keep the political temperature high in the state, especially as panchayat elections draw closer.
