ZP, TP polls in three months: Minister

Deccan Herald

22-04-2025

Hubballi: Medical Education Minister Sharanaprakash Patil said elections for the Taluk Panchayats and Zilla Panchayats will be held in three months, and polls for Gram Panchayat and urban local bodies will be held in the next eight months.Speaking to reporters here at Congress office on Tuesday, the minister said during the BJP rule in the state no elections were held for the Taluk Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat. 'The Congress party believes in decentralisation of power for better administration and the elections for these bodies will be held shortly,' he noted.In a sharp attack on the saffron party, which has started 'Janakrosha Yatra' across the state, Patil said BJP should fight against the union government for hiking prices of all commodities across the country. 'In the last 11 years of administration of the BJP government at the centre, no popular programmes have been launched. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), right to information, right to education, food security and several popular schemes were introduced by the Congress government, no such programmes are introduced by the BJP government,' he added.Reacting on the caste census, Patil said to know the social and economical status of people, a socio-economic survey was conducted, where the caste details are also available. There is a plan to provide facilities based on the report to build an equal society, he said.Earlier, addressing the party workers at Hubballi-Dharwad City District Congress Committee office, the minister said the Congress party believes in social justice and equality and it gives opportunity for all. Soon they will elect office-bearers for block and District Congress Committees.Hescom Chairman Sayed Azeem Peer Khadri, Hubballi-Dharwad City DCC president Altaf Halwoor, Rural DCC president Anilkumar Patil and others were present.