The State Election Commission has ordered an inquiry into the disturbances during the election of chairperson and vice-chairperson of Nainital District Panchayat, including the alleged abduction of five members. Notices have been issued to the District Magistrate, SSP, both chairperson candidates — Deepa Darmwal and Pushpa Negi — petitioner and panchayat member Poonam Bisht, along with members Dikar Singh Mewari, Tarun Kumar Sharma, Pramod Kotlia, Deep Bisht, and Vikram Jantwal. All have been directed to present their side before the commission on 5 September.
The Chief Minister has also sought a report from Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat, while related proceedings are ongoing in the High Court. On Monday, a division bench of Chief Justice G. Narendra and Justice Subhash Upadhyay heard Poonam Bisht’s petition, which alleges malpractice in vote counting and demands fresh polling. She claimed tampering in a ballot paper, where overwriting was done to change the vote count, leading to wrongful rejection.
During the hearing, State Election Commission counsel Sanjay Bhatt informed the court that a probe has been initiated into the entire incident. The Commission also filed an affidavit seeking dismissal of the petition as premature, but the petitioner refused to withdraw. The court has given time for a reply to the affidavit and scheduled the next hearing for 9 September. Meanwhile, Poonam Bisht and other members have already taken oath at Nainital Club, administered by newly elected chairperson Deepa Darmwal.
