The meeting focused on ensuring timely completion of all statutory and administrative processes required for conducting elections to urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions. Senior officials from the Urban Administration and Development Department and the Panchayat and Rural Development Department attended the meeting, along with officers from the State Election Commission.
According to officials, two posts of municipal chairperson and 15 councillor positions are currently vacant in existing urban local bodies. In addition, elections will have to be conducted in four newly constituted nagar panchayats—Ghumka, Bamhanidih, Shivanandanpur and Palari—where posts of four chairpersons and 60 councillors remain unfilled.
The situation is more significant in rural local bodies. Data presented during the meeting showed that across the three-tier panchayat system, five posts of janpad panchayat members, 73 sarpanch positions and 965 panch posts are vacant. This brings the total number of pending panchayat posts to 1,043, necessitating either general or by-elections.
State Election Commissioner Ajay Singh directed all concerned departments to adhere strictly to prescribed timelines and complete preparatory work without delay. He emphasised coordination between departments to avoid procedural bottlenecks once the election schedule is announced.
Special instructions were also issued regarding administrative formalities in newly formed local bodies. The commissioner asked officials to expedite ward delimitation and reservation processes in the newly constituted nagar panchayats of Tamnar and Badi Kareli. He noted that delays in delimitation and reservation could directly affect the election calendar.
The meeting also reviewed the status of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Singh instructed officials to prepare updated voter lists immediately after the completion of the SIR, so that by-elections to local bodies can be conducted without further delay.
Officials said the Commission is prioritising accuracy in voter data and compliance with legal procedures to ensure smooth and transparent elections. Preparatory steps, including coordination with district administrations, are expected to intensify in the coming months.
With a large number of vacancies at both urban and rural levels, the upcoming elections are expected to play a crucial role in restoring representative local governance across Chhattisgarh. The State Election Commission indicated that further review meetings would be held to monitor progress and address emerging issues.
