After ULBs, SAC orders Panchayat polls
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 12: In a major setback to previous PDP-BJP coalition Government headed by Mehbooba Mufti, Governor NN Vohra today nullified a major Legislature amendment of the previous Government to hold election of Sarpanchs by Panchs and ordered that previous position will be restored under which direct election of the Sarpanchs will be held by the people.
Vohra took this decision while announcing conduct of Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir at fourth meeting of the State Administrative Council (SAC) in Srinagar today. As the SAC had yesterday announced conduct of Municipal elections in the State after the gap of more than eight years, the Panchayat polls would now follow the Municipal polls.
Chaired by Vohra, the SAC was attended by all three Advisors-BB Vyas, K Vijay Kumar and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam.
“The SAC approved the proposal to amend Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 for conducting elections of Sarpanchs directly by the electorate of Halqa Panchayats and not by indirect method of Panchs electing the Sarpanch. This will restore the original position in J&K Panchayati Raj Act, which provided for direct election of Sarpanchs, a position altered by an amendment passed in 2016,” official sources told the Excelsior.
They said the need for the amendment was to restore primacy and importance of the Sarpanchs in the Panchayati Raj System and giving them the necessary legitimacy to be able to discharge their functions.
This, according to sources, will provide stability in the Panchayati Raj system and ensure accelerated development which meets the local needs.
“Direct elections also make the Sarpanchs accountable directly to the people rather than to an intermediate group. Further, the amendment brings the spirit of the 73rd Constitutional amendment to the J&K Panchayati Raj Act,” sources said.
The previous PDP-BJP coalition Government headed by Mehbooba Mufti had in 2016 amended the Panchayati Raj Act and done away with the practice of a constituency reserved for Sarpanch in the Panchayats to be elected by the people by converting all constituencies into Panch segments. The amendment had proposed that seven or nine Panchs of the Panchayat would elect their Sarpanch.
This amendment was strongly opposed by then Opposition parties of National Conference and Congress. While the State BJP unit had support the amendment brought by the PDP in the Legislature, it’s national level leadership had later asked the J&K leaders to get the amendment scrapped on the ground that majority of States hold direct election of Sarpanch by the people and that election of Sarpanch by the Panchs could lead to corrupt practices in the Panchayats.
The Opposition parties were of the view that the ruling parties want to impose their party leaders as Sarpanchs and that was the sole reason for holding indirect election to the Sarpanchs.
Meanwhile, after approving the proposal for amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act, the SAC directed the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department to initiate the process of holding elections to the Panchayats in consultations with the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, who has already been designated as the ‘Election Authority’ for conduct of Municipal and Panchayat elections in J&K in the absence of State Election Commission, which had to conduct the civic bodies polls.
“With the holding of elections to the Panchayats, the institution of local self governance at the village level will be revived in the State, thereby furthering inclusion and percolation of benefits of decentralized planning at the grass-root level. It will also ensure greater participation of people in planning and formulation of area specific policies and programmes and hence their involvement in decision making process,” sources said.
There were 4490 Panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir presently as compared to 4130 in 2011, when last elections to Panchayats were held. The elected Panchayats had completed their term in June 2016. Presently, there were no elected Panchayats.
Number of the electorates for Panchayat elections has come out at around 57 lakh after extensive exercise undertaken by the Election Department for updating electoral rolls in January this year.
The Central grants running into several hundreds of crores have been blocked due to delay in holding of Panchayat elections as the Union Government gave certain grants only to the elected Panchayats directly.
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