Decide if minister's bigger or bureaucrat: Himachal Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on conflicting panchayat poll claims

Shimla: It is for the state government to decide whether the minister is bigger or the bureaucrat, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said on Friday while referring to the conflicting statements on holding the panchayat elections in the state on time.

"The ministers are saying elections would be held on time while the bureaucrats working under them, including seven deputy commissioners, have reported that they are unable to prepare for the elections in the present circumstances," he said.

Both can’t be true at the same time, Shukla said and asked the government to decide if the minister is bigger or the bureaucrat.

Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the Audit Week launch in Shimla, the governor said holding panchayat elections is a constitutional arrangement, and everyone should follow the Constitution.

"There would be an atmosphere of instability in the state if the Vidhan Sabha elections are not held on time, and as far as the panchayat elections are concerned, both the state election commission and the government should sit and resolve the issue to hold the elections,” Shukla said, adding that postponing the polls would not be conducive to democracy.

He told reporters that he had received a closed envelope from the state election commissioner on Friday, but he had yet to open it.

In a notification issued on October 9, Chief Secretary and chairman of the State Executive Committee Sanjay Gupta had announced that the polls would be held "only after restoration of proper connectivity", considering the damage to roads and private and public property during the monsoon season.

However, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, along with other ministers, had maintained that the elections would be held on time.

The elections to over 3,500 gram panchayats in the state are slated to be held in December 2025-January 2026. The last date for conducting the election is January 23, and the state election commission has initiated the process with the preparation of electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, responding to a question on increasing firing incidents in the state, Shukla said the law and order situation in the state has been deteriorating, and the government should take stringent steps to rectify it.

“Himachal is known as 'Devbhoomi', and the state government should put in efforts to preserve the piousness of the Devbhoomi,” he said.

One person was killed and two others injured in a shooting incident that occurred at a hotel in Lalsingi in Una late Wednesday night, following a dispute at a birthday party between two groups.

In another incident, a 21-year-old youth had opened fire in the air with a pistol near Oachghat in the suburbs of Solan town on Thursday. The main accused have been arrested in both cases.

Earlier, at the launch, the governor said that the audit acts as a watchdog in a democracy, and Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports have often raised serious questions in national politics.

"This system protects public interests and ensures accountability," he said.