AAPSU moves State Election Commission to defer local bodies' polls

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ITANAGAR: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) has urged the State Election Commission (SEC) to postpone the proposed Panchayat and Municipal Election scheduled to be held on December 22 next.

Submitting representation to the SEC, Minister for Panchayat, AAPSU also served two days ultimatum asking the authority to respond to its demand for postponement of the scheduled elections.

Addressing the reporters at the Press Club here on Tuesday, AAPSU president- Hawa Bagang said 'the situation now for the simultaneous election is not conducive and most importantly there are required formalities which the SEC has to fulfill before processing for the Panchayat and Municipal election.

He said that the SEC should reconsider its decision for the announcement of the Panchayat and Municipal elections taking note of the opinion of the Health Department on COVID-19 Pandemic.

"The Health Department had issued an advisory which opined for postponement of simultaneous elections till the passing of winter rather than taking the unfathomable risk," Bagang said.

Bagang further added there is probable news of the availability of vaccines in the coming months in 2021. Therefore, AAPSU is demanding reconsideration of the decision and postponement of the Local body elections.

Questioning the decision of the SEC, AAPSU President also asserted that the commission hasn't followed the laid down electoral procedure. There is no public notice or circular issued for disregarding the existing electoral roll, no hearing for addition or deletion of voters list and others.

No draft publication of electoral roll 2020 has been made, no claims and objection chance was given, no chance for correction was given to the general public and others, he added.

AAPSU also requested the SEC to impose a complete ban on the participation of temporary settlers and refugees in Panchayat and Municipal elections. The Panchayat elections conducted in the State of Arunachal Pradesh is done with the base on the recommendations of the Dying Ering Recommendations of 1965.

"There has been a gross mistake by the inclusion of temporary settlers in panchayat election, especially in Vijoynagar, Changlang district," he said, adding that these settlers were settled there only with a specific reason for territorial integration of India in 1960s and are not the indigenous tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Moreover, the land lease agreement for the settlers in Vijoynagar area has ended in 2020 and any extension of the lease has not been done by the government. Therefore, there is no question of extending the settlers' rights to participate in the Panchayat election, Bagang claimed.

Meanwhile, AAPSU vice president Meje Taku urged the departments concerned to ensure that the SOPs on COVID-19 are maintained in every school. "We have been receiving reports that many schools are not following SOPs properly with no basic facilities being provided yet in many schools after re-opening of the schools in the State," he said. AAPSU won't accept any lackadaisical attitude towards the SOPs that may pave the way for the increase of COVID-cases amongst the student's community, added Taku.

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