Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 8: JKUT president of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Darshan Rana today raised strong concern over the collapse of grassroot democratic institutions in J&K, stating that Municipal Corporations and Councils completed their tenure on November 9, 2023 and Panchayati Raj Institutions on January 10, 2024, leaving the Union Territory without elected representatives and democratic accountability for an extended period.
He said that Local Bodies have remained unelected and non-functional for more than three years, severely affecting public welfare. Due to this democratic vacuum, he added, the entire powers of local governance stand vested in over-burdened government officers who are unable to effectively address ground-level issues, resulting in delays, negligence and administrative hurdles in resolving day-to-day concerns related to development, sanitation, drinking water, electricity supply, healthcare and social welfare schemes.
Rana further highlighted that the Bahujan Samaj, comprising SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities constitutes more than 65% of population, yet their political representation and participation in decision-making remained negligible even when these institutions were functional. Appealing to the majority community, he questioned why Bahujans should continue depending on parties that have repeatedly failed them, asserting that their true welfare lies only with BSP and urging them to secure political power for themselves to resolve long-pending issues.
Demanding restoration of constitutional rights, he called upon the Government of India and the Election Commission to immediately conduct Panchayat and Local Bodies elections. He also announced that BSP will prioritise youth and women empowerment in upcoming elections, encouraging them to contest on BSP mandate.
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