Zilla Panchayat/Taluk Panchayat polls: ‘Quota work underway, no hurdles for delimitation’

Bengaluru: The Council witnessed a heated debate over an inordinate delay in conducting Zilla Panchayat (ZP) and Taluk Panchayat (TP) elections.

Replying to a calling attention motion jointly raised by Congress’ Manjunath Bhandary and BJP’s D S Arun, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge said that the reservation list is currently being prepared and that all legal hurdles related to delimitation have been nearly resolved.

He reassured that the government is addressing necessary legal and administrative requirements and remains committed to holding polls without any further delay.

MLCs Bhandary and Arun expressed frustration over the four-year delay. Both advocated holding GP elections on party symbols to promote political accountability and demanded restoring more powers to the State Election Commission.

Kharge said, “I understand the concerns… and agree the election should have been held sooner.” He said the reservation matrix will be submitted to the Supreme Court and warned that court challenges may continue, particularly concerning SC/ST and women. “We will make all efforts to ensure reservation process is more transparent”.

He said GP elections are due in 2026 and cannot be held simultaneously. The minister stressed that a committee may be formed to study party symbol proposal.