Shimla, April 1 BJP legislators on Wednesday protested against a recent notification from the Himachal Pradesh government, which authorized district commissioners to make changes to the reservation roster for up to 5 percent of village councils, viewing it as an attempt to delay local body elections.
They staged a protest at the Himachal Pradesh Assembly complex in Shimla, raising slogans against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the state government.
Congress government issued a notification granting district commissioners the authority to adjust the reservation roster by up to five percent, said Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur, alleging that the state government is employing various tactics to delay the polls, and the chief minister remains firm in his stance.
He said that the reservation roster, which is essential for the elections, is being deliberately delayed, and he asserted that the government is attempting to alter the rules by issuing notifications with retrospective effect, which he deemed entirely improper.
This move could potentially compromise the electoral process, Thakur asserted.
The elections for village councils and urban bodies in the state, which are to be held before May 31, will be conducted according to the 2011 census.
Consequently, the population of many castes and classes has changed, and a provision for a five percent change in the reservation roster is designed to allow the district commissioner to make changes, particularly where a community has been discriminated against due to a shift in population composition, the officials maintained.