When Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed the Himachal Pradesh Assembly earlier this month that MLAs would have to wait for the third installment of their MLALAD funds and their hiked salaries for the next couple of months, it was another public admission by the Chief Minister of the state’s financial crisis.

Just days prior to it, the Sukhu government had pleaded lack of funds as one of the reasons for seeking the postponement of panchayat elections (though the BJP accused it of putting off the polls as it is afraid of facing them). Citing the flooding that hit Himachal this year, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh told the Assembly: “Approximately Rs 100 crore is required to organise gram panchayat elections in the state, along with the mobilisation of around 55,000

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