CEO to announce schedule this week
*MHA extends stay of para-military forces
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 12: In another step toward restoration of democracy fully at the grass-root level, the Union Territory Government has decided to hold elections to 13,161 vacancies in Panchayats beginning February middle or end to March and the Election Authority is working on four to five phase voting.
“Exercise for conducting elections to the Panchayat vacancies has been set into motion by the Department of Rural Development and the Chief Electoral Office (CEO), which has been designated as the Election Authority for holding Panchayat and Municipal elections in the absence of local Election Commission,” official sources told the Excelsior.
Elections to third tier of Panchayati Raj System i.e. the District Planning and Development Boards (DPDBs) will be held only after vacancies of Panchayats are filled up in the by-elections.
“We have identified a total of 13161 vacancies in Panchayats including 1067 Sarpanchs and 12094 Panchs in all 20 districts of the Union Territory-10 each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions. Majority of vacancies were in Kashmir division,” sources said.
They added that schedule for holding the elections is being worked out and if everything goes well, elections for all 13161 seats of Sarpanchs and Panchs will start in the middle or end of February and conclude in March.
Notification for the elections is likely to be issued in the upcoming week, sources said, adding that the election process could be completed in four to five phases.
“The Election Authority might begin the poll process from plain areas in middle or end of February and hold elections in higher reaches in last couple of phases in March taking into account the winter weather conditions,” sources pointed out.
The Union Home Ministry is understood to have asked the Union Territory Government to keep additional para-military forces in Jammu and Kashmir till completion of elections as majority of vacancies in the valley fall in sensitive and militancy-infested South Kashmir, where elections couldn’t be held in November-December 2018 along with other Sarpanch and Panch seats in the absence of contestants.
However, following elections to the Block Development Councils (BDCs) in which 280 Chairpersons from amongst the Sarpanchs and Panchs were elected, the seats of those elected to the BDCs have also fallen vacant and elections to them will be held along with other vacancies.
Giving figures, sources said, there were 12696 total vacancies in the Panchayats in Kashmir division including 922 Sarpanch seats and 11774 Panch constituencies as against just 465 vacancies in Jammu including 145 Sarpanchs and 320 Panchs.
More vacancies in Kashmir division were attributed to lack of contestants at the time of elections in November-December 2018 due to terror threats. However, this time, the Government proposed to increase security arrangements in the areas where by-elections are to be held to ensure that people come forward to contest the elections and fill the vacancies.
The Government was confident that in view of powers being given to Panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) for development works and control of some Departments, the candidates will come forward to contest the elections to fill up the vacancies this time.
Moreover, the enhanced security arrangements will also boost confidence of the candidates, sources said, adding that part of large number of para-military forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir in July-August ahead of abrogation of special Constitutional provisions of the erstwhile State and its bifurcation into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, will be utilized for conduct of by-elections for security of candidates and electorates.
In Kashmir division, maximum number of vacancies were in Baramulla district (2310) followed by South Kashmir’s Anantnag district (2130), Budgam (2097), Pulwama (1588) and Kulgam (1353).
Vacancies in other Valley districts included 712 in Bandipora, 731 in Ganderbal, 796 in Kupwara, 815 in Shopian and 164 in Srinagar.
Compared to Kashmir, vacancies were negligible in Jammu division with highest 118 in Kishtwar district followed by 55 in Jammu, 47 in Ramban, 45 in Kathua, 42 in Doda, 41 in Rajouri, 38 in Poonch, 32 in Udhampur, 25 in Samba and 22 in Reasi district.
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