Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 1 (ANI): The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, accusing the state government of deliberately delaying Panchayat elections and undermining constitutional provisions.

Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, while addressing mediapersons ahead of the Assembly proceedings, alleged that the government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was attempting to avoid holding Panchayat polls through administrative and legal manoeuvres.

'Panchayat elections in Himachal Pradesh are constitutionally mandated after completion of their five-year term. These were due in December, but the government has been trying to delay them on one pretext or another,' Thakur said.

He stated that after the matter reached the Himachal Pradesh High Court, directions were issued to conduct elections by April. However, the state government approached the Supreme Court of India, citing disaster-related concerns, which were rejected, with the apex court directing completion of elections by the end of May.

Thakur further accused the government of introducing changes in the reservation roster system through a backdated notification issued on March 30. He claimed that empowering Deputy Commissioners to alter up to 5 per cent of reservation allocations violates constitutional provisions under Article 243D.

'Reservation in Panchayats is clearly based on population and rotation. Granting discretionary powers to alter this structure will have cascading effects across Panchayat, block and district levels, and can distort representation, particularly for women,' he said.

The BJP leader alleged that such decisions could lead to arbitrary changes in reserved seats and weaken grassroots democracy. 'This is against the spirit of the Constitution and democratic norms. We are protesting to safeguard the rights of the people,' Thakur added.

The opposition has sought a detailed discussion on the issue in the Assembly, terming the matter 'serious' and accusing the government of 'damaging democratic institutions' in the state.

Earlier, the opposition BJP also staged a protest outside the Himachal Pradesh Assembly premises on the 14th day of the ongoing Budget Session, ahead of the start of proceedings, demanding immediate rollback of the recent hike in entry tax.

The protest was led by LoP Jairam Thakur, who accused the state government of taking 'ill-considered decisions' that have triggered tensions along the Himachal-Punjab- Haryana borders.

Thakur said the issue has escalated into a serious concern, with protests intensifying in border areas and transporters in Punjab and Haryana warning of a blockade.

'We have already raised the issue of entry tax both inside and outside the Assembly, but the government does not seem to understand what to do and what not to do. I have said earlier that when decisions are taken in haste, without proper understanding, such situations arise,' he said. (ANI)