Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday said the panchayati raj polls have not been cancelled. They will be held once road connectivity is restored.
“Our priority is to provide relief to the disaster-hit people whose houses have been completely or partially damaged and give compensation to the victims,” he told mediapersons. Sukhu alleged, “BJP leaders are making planned attempts to malign my image.”
His remarks came a day after the polls were postponed, a move the opposition BJP called a “pre-planned, anti-people act.”
The panchayati raj elections were scheduled between December 2025 and January 2026. The last date for holding the polls is January 23.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh said if road connectivity was restored by December-January, the polls would be held on schedule.
In a notification issued on Thursday, Chief Secretary and chairman of the State Executive Committee Sanjay Gupta said the elections will take place “only after proper connectivity is restored,” given the damage to roads and public and private property.
The notification highlighted the extensive damage during this year’s monsoons. Between June and September, the state recorded 47 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods, and 148 major landslides. Rain-related incidents claimed 270 lives.
As many as 1,817 houses were totally damaged, and 8,323 houses partially damaged. The total loss was estimated at Rs 5,426 crore. Continued rainfall has prevented deputy commissioners from restoring panchayat road connectivity, the notification added.
BJP leaders accused the Congress government of avoiding elections due to poor performance and unfulfilled promises.
Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said, “The Congress government is aware that its massive defeat is pre-decided, and hence postponed the elections on the pretext of natural calamity.”
He added that urban local body elections were also postponed at the last moment previously. “Everything was scripted,” he said, asking the government to hold polls and face the people.
State BJP president Rajiv Bindal called the postponement a “well-planned, anti-people decision,” claiming the Congress fears defeat.
Bindal said, “The Congress party talks about saving democracy, but in reality, it is working to harm the biggest festival of democracy. This move clearly demonstrates that the Congress is evading democratic norms.”
Responding to these allegations, CM Sukhu said the BJP, divided into five factions under J P Nadda, Jai Ram Thakur, Anurag Thakur, Rajiv Bindal, and Harsh Mahajan, opposes everything to divert public’s attention.
He further said after the 2023 monsoon disaster, the BJP demanded a Vidhan Sabha session, but when a debate on the disaster was held, its leaders walked out and “did not stand with the affected people.”
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