On January 13, 2025, the Jharkhand High Court sternly censured the Hemant Soren government for delaying municipal elections in the state, calling it an act of contempt, while emphasising that polls cannot be indefinitely postponed under the pretext of conducting the triple test process for OBC reservation in the civic bodies.

In fact, on January 4 last year, the High Court ordered the state government to announce municipal election dates within three weeks. It noted that delaying elections beyond the tenure of municipal bodies constituted a constitutional and local governance breakdown. This case stems from a petition filed by outgoing Ranchi Municipal Corporation councillor Roshni Khalkho and others.

The terms of all municipal bodies in Jharkhand, including municipal corporations, municipalities, and notified area committees, expired in April 2023. Specifically, elections were due by April 27, 2023, as this marked the end of the five-year tenure of these bodies, as stipulated under Article 243U of the Indian Constitution. This article mandates that elections to constitute a municipality must be completed before the expiration of its five-year term or, in the case of dissolution, within six months from that date.

However, despite the obvious embarrassment of the court rulings, the Soren government remains defiant and continues buying time on some pretext or the other. This constant hoodwinking approach of the state government raises serious questions over its intent and the real reasons why the state government is shying away from holding these elections.

Initially, the government justified the delay by citing the Covid-19 pandemic. However, since then, the Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, and multiple by-elections have taken place, proving that elections can be conducted where needed.

Finally, after exhausting the cliched excuse of Covid pandemic, the government then........

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