Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 5: State Election Commissioner K K Sharma today issued the first notification for conducting the maiden election to the District Development Councils (DDCs) in 20 districts and by-polls to Panchayats, which will be held amid tight security arrangements.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh told the Excelsior that adequate security arrangements have been made for first election to the DDCs and by-polls to Panchayats and Municipalities.
“We have good numbers of paramilitary and police personnel available for making security arrangements during the elections,” Singh said.
Notification was issued for 18 Territorial Constituencies in all 10 DDCs of Jammu region which will go to polls in first phase on November 28.
The constituencies include three in Ramban, two each in Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda and Kishtwar and one each in Poonch, Rajouri and Samba districts.
First notification for the elections was issued today for which candidates can file nomination papers till November 12. Scrutiny of papers will be held on November 13 while the candidates can withdraw their papers on November 16. Polling will be held on November 28 and counting on December 22.
However, counting for Sarpanch and Panch seats will take place the same day of voting.
The DDC elections, the first major political activity since the abrogation of Article 370 provisions on August 5 last year, will be held in eight phases from November 28 to December 19.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Hardesh Kumar also issued the first notification for conducting an eight-phase by-poll for the civic bodies.
The date before which the election shall be completed has been fixed as December 19.
The delimitation had been done for the constituencies and 280 DDCs identified across the Union Territory for undertaking elections, with 14 DDC constituencies in each district, 140 in each division and 280 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sharma also issued the first notification for conducting an eight-phase by-election for Panchayats to elect 12,153 Sarpanches and Panches. The elections will be held for 24 blocks spread over 10 districts of the Kashmir valley and 53 blocks in six districts of Jammu division.
The last elections to the Panchayats were held in November-December 2018, in which 22,214 Panches and 3,459 Sarpanches were elected.
Further vacancies have accrued on account of deaths and resignations of the elected Sarpanches and Panches. Another 307 seats fell vacant due to election of chairpersons to the Block Development Councils in October last year.
The CEO had issued a schedule in February for election to vacant Panchayat constituencies, covering 274 out of 285 blocks, but these were postponed due to the Coronavirus situation.
Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar also issued today the first notification for conducting an eight-phase by-election for Municipal Urban Local Bodies for 234 vacant wards from November 28.
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