Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 17: Notwithstanding the Centre Government’s insistence on early holding of Panchayat and Municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the State Government has further delayed the process prompting the BJP high command to direct its Ministers and party leaders to ensure that both elections are now held early next year.
Official sources told the Excelsior that after initiating the process for Panchayat elections through the State Election Commission, the PDP-BJP coalition Government didn’t opt for giving go ahead to the SEC to announce election dates, a result of which yet another year is about to pass without elected Panchayats and Municipalities in Jammu and Kashmir, which has not only deprived the people of developmental works, which are initiated exclusively through the elected urban and rural civic bodies with Central funding, but also specific grants, which are released to the State Government by the Union Ministries of Urban and Rural Development.
Sources said the Centre Government wanted Jammu and Kashmir to hold Panchayat elections followed by the Urban Local Bodies but the State Government after setting the process into motion including issuance of an Ordinance through the Governor designating the Chief Electoral Officer as the State Election Commission for holding the polls this winter, hasn’t given green signal to the SEC so far for announcing election dates
“With budget session of the Legislature scheduled to begin on January 2 and expected to last till first week of February, the Government now proposed to test the water again for the elections in February-March,’’ sources pointed out.
The State Election Commission is reported to have completed the process of updating electoral rolls of Panchayats after which number of voters had gone up to 57 lakh and struck the deal with Himachal Pradesh for purchase of ballot boxes as the Panchayati Raj Act provided for holding elections through obsolete process of ballot papers. Various other steps required for holding Panchayat elections were also taken in October-November.
Sources said not only Panchayat but the Centre also wanted the J&K Government to hold Urban Local Bodies elections after Panchayat polls. According to them, the Centre wanted to test the ground for holding by-election to Anantnag Lok Sabha seat too through Panchayat and Municipal elections. By-poll to Anantnag seat was deferred by the Election Commission in May this year in view of violence in Srinagar Lok Sabha by-poll. Anantnag Lok Sabha seat has been lying vacant since June 2016 when then MP and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had quit the seat after being elected to the Legislative Assembly from Anantnag after taking over as the Chief Minister of the State following demise of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
According to sources, the State Government was of the view that gains in security situation in Jammu and Kashmir could be affected if there was violence during Panchayat elections as it wouldn’t be possible to provide security cover to large number of contestants. “The candidates could become soft targets of the militants, who were frustrated due to successful operations against them by the security forces,’’ they said, adding that the State Government would take all pros and cons into account before taking final decision on Panchayat elections shortly, most likely after budget session of the Legislature.
Sources said the BJP High Command was also upset with delay in holding Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies elections in Jammu and Kashmir and has asked its Ministers and senior party leaders to ensure that both the elections are held by start of next year.
The BJP High Command was not in favour of “indirect election’’ of Sarpanches and wanted the old practice of “direct election’’ to continue, which was prevalent in majority of States in the country.
Panchayat elections were last held in J&K in 2011 after more than four and half decades and elected Panchayats had completed their five-year term in June 2016 while elections to Urban Local Bodies were last held in January 2005 and elected Municipalities had completed their term in March 2010. There were no elected Municipalities in the State since past seven and half years now and the Panchayats for last one and half years. In the absence of elected Panchayats and Municipalities, the State Government has been losing crores of rupees as Central funding as specific grants are released only to the elected civic bodies.
Number of the Panchayats, where elections will be held, have gone up to 4500 as compared to 4166 in 2011. Last elections to Panchayats were held in 2011 and the elected Panchayats had completed their term in June 2016. Presently, there were no elected Panchayats.
Out of 334 newly carved out Panchayats, 165 have been increased in Jammu division and 169 in Kashmir division. With this number of Panchayats in Jammu division has increased to 2121 as compared to 1956 in 2011. Number of the Panchayats has gone up to 2379 in Kashmir division as against 2210.
Panchayats of Ladakh region are included in Kashmir division.
As per the new arrangement, the people will only elect Panches as there will be no direct election of Sarpanches, like 2011. Sarpanch will be elected by Panches of that Panchayat, sources said, adding that the Government had decided to do away with the process of direct election of Sarpanches.
Sources said the Election Department has also finalized voter lists for the Panchayat elections. 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.
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