Some of these "de-municipalised" towns are sub-divisional/tehsil and sub- tehsil headquarters. These towns, according to the state election commissioner, TD Jogpal, are Bawani Khera, Tosham, Lohary and Shiwani (all in Haryana Vikas Party leader Bansi Lal's home turf, Bhiwani), Hathin, Taoru and Punhana (Mewat), Jadkhal Mandi (Fatehabad), Narnaund, Aurangabad and Uklana Mandi (in Congress leader Bhajan Lal's home district, Hissa).

The other towns are Julana and Nuchana (the base of Congress leaders, Samsher Singh Surjewala, Birender Singh, and Jai Prakash of the Green Brigade), Kalyat and Pundri (Kaithal district), Indira, Gudha, Ram Nagar and Nilokheri (Karnal district), Kharkhauda (Sonepat district), Adeli Mandi (Mahendergarh district) and Buria, Chhachhrauli and Radaur (Yamunanagar district).

The official explanation for "de-municipalising" these towns is that since the principal vocational structure of the people is agriculture and agriculture-related activities, none has enough avenues to mobilise resources for local development. As a result, these towns always looked towards the state government for financial assistance. Some had been advanced loans for civic development, which were allegedly misutilised, and are yet to be paid.

The condition of a majority of these municipal areas, as per government reports, was worse than that of a village. It for this reason that Mr Jogpal has now ordered the initiation of elections to the panchayati raj bodies for these areas. The entire process is targeted to be completed by the end of this financial year. But officials have not yet made up their minds as to whether the addition of new panchayati raj institutions in the already formed pyramid would imply that the whole exercise be undertaken de novo. In any case, observers feel that a way will have to be found to give representation of these "de-municipalised" areas in gram vikas samities, panchayat samities and zila parishads.