Bengaluru: The govt is considering conducting gram panchayat (GP) elections using political party symbols, rural development and panchayat raj minister Priyank Kharge told the legislative council Wednesday. He said a committee will be constituted to examine feasibility of the move, including legal, constitutional, and procedural aspects, before a decision is taken. “There were some 20 suggestions in favour of GP elections under political party symbols,” Priyank said in reply to an attention call by Manjunath Bhandari and DS Arun. “We will form a committee which will study how GP elections are conducted in other states, possible legal hurdles, constitutional issues and requirements of amending related laws.” On holding zilla (ZP) and taluk panchayat (TP) elections, Priyank said polls were delayed because of Covid-19, delimitation of constituencies, and pending reservation decisions. “Elections for ZPs and TPs will be held as soon reservation of seats is completed,” he said, adding that delimitation is complete and the reservation process is underway. Some MLCs urged the govt to conduct ZP, TP, and GP polls simultaneously, but Priyank said it may not be feasible since ZP and TP elections must be held soon, while GP elections are scheduled for Jan 2026. Meanwhile, the legislative assembly also saw a sharp exchange over the shortage of urea in the state, with BJP and JD(S) accusing the govt of creating artificial scarcity and promoting black marketing.Agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy denied the accusations and instead blamed the central govt for reducing allocation to the state.BJP members Arga Jnanendra, BY Vijayendra, Aravind Bellad and others, besides JD(S) floor leader CB Suresh Babu staged a walkout, alleging, “The Centre provided enough and more stock, but there is a problem with regard to distribution and management of stocks by the state govt. There is a clear intent of creating artificial scarcity and encouraging black marketeers to have a free hand.”Cheluvarayaswamy rejected the accusation, saying, “As per data provided by the Centre and what was received by the state, there is a shortage of 2.7 lakh tonnes of urea as of Aug. Also, the monsoon arrived early in the state — by as much as one month — which led to increased sowing in as many as two lakh hectares.”He said the shortage was nationwide, citing supply disruptions from Iran and China, but assured that Karnataka was in constant touch with the Centre to resolve the issue.
