BANGALORE: The Government is bound by the Supreme Court order on holding elections to the zilla and taluk panchayats and is ready to hold them, Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh said here on Tuesday.

He told presspersons that elections will be held to all the 27 zilla panchayats and 175 taluk panchayats.

Special leave petition

Though the Government was not a party to the special leave petition filed by the State Election Commission in the Supreme Court challenging the June 30 order of the Karnataka High Court on holding panchayat elections, the Government is bound by the directions of the Supreme Court, he said.

The Chief Minister, who convened a meeting of top officials and some Ministers on Tuesday, said the Government will communicate its stand on the issue to the State Election Commission at the earliest. The State, being a frontline campaigner for the decentralisation of power, has no hesitation in holding the elections, he said.

On the problems in some districts owing to the recent floods and heavy rain, Mr. Singh said such matters are left to the discretion of the State Election Commission, and the Government will comply with its order.

Besides Mr. Dharam Singh, Water Resources Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge, Law Minister H.K. Patil, Minister for Science and Technology Basavaraj Horatti, Agriculture Minister K. Srinivasa Gowda, D.K. Shivakumar, MLA, Chief Secretary B.K. Das and other senior officials participated in the meeting.

The Government has reportedly sought the opinion of the former Chief Justice of India M.N. Venkatachalaiah on the issue.

Decision communicated

Later, the Principal Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, B.P. Baligar, communicated the Government's decision to the State Election Commission.

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