In a setback to the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government, the Himachal Pradesh high court on Friday ordered the state to conduct elections for panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies (ULBs) by April 30, 2026.
The ruling effectively dismisses the state’s attempt to defer the democratic exercise by six months, citing post-monsoon reconstruction and the enforcement of the Disaster Management Act.
Disposing of a petition challenging the delay, the court mandated that the state election commission (SEC) and the government finalise all preparatory formalities by February 28.
The state government had argued that “extensive damage to private and public property” during the recent monsoon—which saw losses exceeding ₹10,000 crore across the state—rendered the administrative machinery unable to hold polls. In October, the government had directed the SEC to stall the process “until things improve on the ground”, citing blocked rural roads and logistical hurdles.
However, the court remained unmoved by the plea for a six-month extension. During three days of intensive hearings, the Bench noted a tightening administrative window due to school board examinations, which occupy the premises needed for polling booths, in March and the diversion of staff for the national census in May.
The state has 3,577 gram panchayats, 90 panchayat samitis, and 11 zila parishads, all of whose five-year tenures are set to expire on January 31, 2026. Additionally, the terms of 71 urban local bodies hang in the balance, with the terms of 50 of them concluding on January 18.
Under Articles 243-E and 243-U of the Constitution, elections must ideally be completed before these terms end.
Without the high court’s intervention, the state was headed toward an administrative vacuum where elected pradhans and councillors would have been replaced by government-appointed bureaucrats. This prospect had drawn sharp criticism from the opposition, which alleged the government was “fearing the mandate” and attempting to bypass democratic decentralisation.
