Panchayat polls: Ensure no paper is rejected for want of NOC: SAD

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday urged the state election commission (SEC) to ensure that no document is rejected on the basis of no-objection certificate (NOC) or chulha tax in the ongoing panchayat elections. In a communiqué sent to the SEC, Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema sought directions to the returning officers that even if they want to cancel any nomination paper due to non-availability of NOC and non-payment of tax, they should send the same to the commission for scrutiny.

“At present, officials of the rural development and panchayats department are deliberately delaying the decision on the nominations so that they could be rejected at the last moment,” said Cheema.

Cheema said that the nomination papers of the candidates were being rejected and the democratic rights of the opposition were being snatched away on the pretext of non-payment of only ₹7 per annum chulha tax. He said that earlier also in 2018, 49,000 nomination papers were filed for the posts of sarpanch, out of which 21,000 were rejected during scrutiny. Out of 1.16 lakh papers for panches, only one lakh candidates were in the fray.

Demanding action against the erring officials, Cheema said that there have been widespread complaints that returning officers are sitting in the offices and houses of AAP office-bearers instead of sitting in their offices and meeting people.

The SAD spokesperson also said that the scrutiny process should be videographed.