Chandigarh, Dec 2: The Punjab State Election Commission (SEC) has removed the requirement for candidates to procure a No Objection Certificate or No Dues Certificate for filing nominations in the upcoming panchayat polls, allowing them instead to submit a self-declaration affidavit.
In a notification dated December 1, the SEC said candidates who cannot obtain such certificates may file an affidavit stating they are not in arrears of any tax, including the chulha tax, and are not in unauthorised occupation of local authority property. “The affidavit will be accepted and verified by the competent authority within 24 hours,” the order said.
The relaxation follows complaints from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) aspirants, who said they were unable to file nominations due to pending NOCs, particularly the clearance of the chulha tax. SAD legal cell head Arshdeep Singh Kler said his party had approached both the SEC and the High Court. “Fortunately, the SEC simplified the situation and relieved aspirants from procuring the NOC and chulha tax clearance,” he said.
Kler, however, said the new instructions were not circulated widely. “A day before this notification was issued to deputy commissioners, but it was never publicised for its wider reach,” he said.
District Election Officers and Returning Officers have been directed to follow the updated process. Nomination papers for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections will be accepted until 3 p.m. on December 4.
Affidavits may be attested by an Executive Magistrate, Oath Commissioner or Notary Public. If no report is received from the concerned authority within 24 hours of submission, the candidate will be presumed not to be a defaulter or unauthorised occupant.
The chulha tax — historically a small levy collected by panchayats, once as low as ₹2 per stove — now surfaces mainly during elections to ensure candidates have cleared village-level dues.
