Postponement likely to avoid large gatherings
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 13: Much awaited elections to 12,650 vacancies to the Panchayats and District Planning and Development Boards (DPDBs) are all set to be put off for at least two months in the wake of Coronavirus threat in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as the polls would lead to mass gatherings especially during campaigning which have been restricted by the Government.
Highly placed sources told the Excelsior that the by-elections to fill 12,650 vacancies to Panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir which were scheduled to be held in March but were deferred for few days in February due to security reasons, are not being announced this month, and will be deferred for at least two months in view of Coronavirus threat.
Similarly, they said, the elections to constitute DPDBs for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir which had to take place after completion of process for by-elections to Panchayats, will also be pushed further. The DPDB elections had to be held only after vacancies in the Panchayats are filled.
“Unless the Panchayat by-elections are completed, it will not be possible to hold first-ever election to the District Planning and Development Boards as all Panchayats members including Sarpanchs and Panchs besides the Block Development Council (BDC) Chairpersons comprised Electoral College for the DPDBs,” sources said.
However, if the DPDB elections are held after implementation of 73rd Amendment of the Constitution of India, all voters would form the Electoral College for Zila Parishads.
The Union Territory Government, it may be mentioned, had decided to hold by-elections to vacancies in Panchayats, both at the levels of Sarpanchs and Panchs, followed by elections to the DPDBs.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar had announced eight-phase elections to the Panchayats in February but after notifications for first two phases, the elections were deferred for few days in view of security reasons.
“The Union Territory Government is of the view that holding elections at this stage will not be feasible as it would lead to large gatherings during campaign by the candidates especially as the Panchayat by-polls were announced on party basis. The Government has already issued an advisory against holding large gatherings in view of Coronavirus threat,” sources pointed out.
They were, however, of the view that delay in Panchayat and DPDB elections beyond April might eventually push them further as the Government will be busy in first-ever Global Investors Summit to be held in Jammu and Kashmir on May 26 and 27 and thereafter annual pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji will start on June 23 and continue till August 3 for which massive security arrangements have to be made.
But, sources clarified, final decision will be vested with the Union Territory Government and depends upon how early the Coronavirus threat is contained in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the new format of DPDBs, all elected Chairpersons of the particular district will be the members of the DPDB and one of them would be the Chairperson, who too will come through the proper election. In majority of the States across the country, this formula is prevalent.
Area of the Zila Parishads is earmarked by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department after undertaking an exercise across the Union Territory. Large districts like Jammu, which is presently based on 11 Assembly constituencies, can have 18-20 Zila Parishads while small district like Samba can have 7-8 but this depends on the exercise undertaken by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department.
This was also for the first time that the Block Development Council (BDC) elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir, constituting 2nd-tier of Panchayati Raj System. Elections to the DPDBs whenever held will complete three-tier of Panchayati Raj in J&K for the first time.
By-elections to Panchayats were necessitated as 280 Sarpanchs and Panchs were elected as Chairpersons of the Block Development Councils in the elections held to them last year. Other vacancies in the Panchayats were mainly in the Kashmir valley in the absence of candidates in the elections held in November-December 2018.
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