The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Haryana, on Wednesday, decided against contesting the upcoming panchayat elections on party symbol.

Addressing a press conference after the CLP meeting on Wednesday, former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Congress legislators held detailed discussion regarding panchayat elections and decided against contesting these polls on party symbol. 

The election to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) will be held across the state in September.

There are 6,288 panchayats in Haryana which elect 62,022 panches, 22 presidents and 488 members of zila parishad, 143 presidents and 3,080 members of panchayat samitis.

He said the government deliberately postponed the panchayat elections. “Due to this, the development of villages came to a standstill and there was a lot of corruption in the absence of the Panchayat representatives,” Hooda said.

In two resolutions passed at a meeting of the CLP today under the chairmanship of Hooda, the CLP demanded reservation for backward classes in upcoming panchayat elections and  amendment in the Land Act based on the decision of the Supreme Court on Shamlat land (common land).

“Congress demands that the rights of backward classes should be ensured in these elections due to the delay of almost two years. This class should be given the benefit of reservation by presenting the report of the recently constituted Backward Classes Commission by the government,” he said.

Hooda said issues arising out of the Supreme Court’s decision on Shamlat land were discussed in detail in the meeting of the legislature party. “The Haryana government did not defend the Jai Singh Vs State case properly. If the government had advocated properly, the decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court would have been different,” he said.

“Now the government has issued an order to transfer the land in the name of panchayats. This decision has led to an atmosphere of panic in the village because people have been living on these lands for many years and many have even sold the land further and hence it would not be right to evict them. The government should call a special session of the Legislative Assembly and make changes in the Village Shamlat Land Consolidation Act,” the former CM said.

Hooda said on 11 September, the Congress will hold a ‘Halla Bol’ rally against inflation in Delhi on 28 August.