Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 18: The Election Department has decided to undertake fresh revision of electoral rolls from February 2013 for a period of 45 days with January 1, 2013 as qualifying date as per Jammu and Kashmir Municipal and Municipal Corporation Acts before setting the process of election to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) into motion.
“In view of fresh schedule of voter revision for all ULBs including two Corporations in the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar, which would take a minimum time period of 45 days beginning February 2013, it would be possible to hold elections only in the month of May’’, official sources told the Excelsior.
They said: “in view of summary revision of electoral rolls for Parliament and Assembly, ordered by the Election Commission of India, which would be completed on January 15, 2012 followed by distribution of Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) on January 25, it would be possible for the Election Department to start revision of electoral rolls for Municipal elections only in the month of February 2013’’.
An official document said January 1, 2013 would be kept as qualifying date as per J&K Municipal Act, 2000 and J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000 and the election rules made there after for inclusion of fresh voters in the revision of voter lists to be ordered in the month of February 2013 for the Municipal polls.
“This process will take a minimum of 45 days commencing from the month of February 2013 after finalisation of Assembly electoral rolls since the statutory period has to be given for inviting claims and objections and their disposal. The elections to the Municipal bodies can be held anytime subsequent to the final publication of the Municipal electoral rolls’’, the document said.
Sources, however, said that even if the voter revision for ULB elections was set into motion by the Election Department in the middle of February, it would conclude by the end of March.
“If the Election Department went ahead with the schedule of elections immediately after the completion of electoral rolls, it would be possible to start the polls only in the month of May taking into account the mandatory period of issuing the poll schedule, notification and time for filing nomination papers etc’’, sources said.
It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had asked the Housing and Urban Development Department and Rural Development Department in September this year to hold elections to Municipalities and Block Development Councils (BDCs) before December end this year.
The process of elections to 143 chairpersons of BDCs was set into motion in October but was cancelled midway due to reservations expressed by different political parties for lack of reservations to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women in the Councils. As the Election Department went busy with BDC elections followed by polls to four vacancies of Legislative Council from Panchayat quota besides summary revision of electoral rolls for Parliament and Assembly, it was unable to hold elections to the ULBs.
“As per the Municipal Act, if the elections are held next year, all those youth, who had attained the age of 18 on January 1, 2013 had to be included as voters. This necessitated the voter revision that would last 45 days as the Election Department had to invite claims and objections before publication of electoral rolls for all Municipalities’’, sources said.
They added: “the office of the Chief Electoral Officer had received a request from the Housing and Urban Development Department for holding elections to the Municipal bodies in September 2012. Thereafter, it was brought to the notice of the Housing and Urban Development Department that the delimitation of Wards of both Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporations were still to be finalized.
“Subsequently, the delimitation of Wards of Srinagar Municipal Corporation was finalized vide SRO No. 288 dated 4th September, 2012 and Jammu Municipal Corporation vide SRO 333 dated 11th October, 2012’’.
The Chief Electoral Officer’s office, thereafter, initiated action for preparation of Municipal electoral rolls for SMC and JMC as well as that of the other Municipal Committees/Councils in the State.
“However, in October 2012, the State Government also asked the CEO to conduct elections to Chairpersons of BDCs. As such, preparations were made for holding of BDC elections and the polls process was initiated but subsequently the elections were cancelled’’, sources said, adding that in the, meantime, the Election Commission of India had announced the schedule for conduct of elections to four seats of MLCs from the Panchayats’ quota, which has just concluded on December 8, 2012.
Sources said that earlier also, the Housing and Urban Development Department and the Chief Electoral Officer tried to hold the elections but the process was suspended on one pretext or the other including summer unrest in 2010 summer, updation of voter lists, flow of tourists, inclusion of more areas in JMC and SMC, creation of more Committees etc.
“If everything goes well, the elections would be held in May next year’’, they added.
Worthwhile to mention here that elections to the ULBs were held in January 2005 after a gap of 26 years. All Municipalities had completed their five years term in March 2010. Since then the elections couldn’t be held to the ULBs.
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