Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 6: The Election Commission has set the process for holding Panchayat elections in the State during June-July in motion after ordering reservation of constituencies for SC/STs and women, segregation and publication of electoral rolls and appointing the District Panchayat Officers (DPOs) as Nodal Officers while Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shantmanu will be holding crucial meeting with Governor NN Vohra on March 8 reportedly to finalize schedule for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Governor, who is keen to hold the Municipal elections in May, has called Shantmanu for a meeting on March 8 to discuss with him in detail the preparations for Municipal elections and reportedly the election schedule for the polls. The CEO has already briefed the Governor that his department will be completing all formalities for holding the Municipal polls on March 28 by publishing the final electoral rolls and that election schedule can be announced anytime after that day.
Sources said the Governor was likely to discuss number of phases required for holding the elections in the State keeping in view the militancy in some areas. After discussions, the matter was likely to be taken up in the State Administrative Council (SAC) meeting, which was likely to be held on March 11.
The SAC, according to sources, was expected to take final call on the Municipal elections.
Meanwhile, CEO Shantmanu, who had recently been designated as the State Election Commission for holding Panchayat elections, has set the process in motion for holding Panchayat polls in June-July by notifying the dates for segregation of electoral rolls and survey for reserved constituencies of Sarpanches and Panches.
Shantmanu told the Excelsior that the Directors of Rural Development Department (RDD) Jammu/Kashmir have been asked to start the process for reservation of Sarpanch and Panch constituencies for women, SCs and STs as per the legal provisions on March 14 with 15 days time for inviting objections.
The process for updation and mapping of Ward constituencies, Halqa Panchayats, blocks and districts and roaster for segregation of electoral rolls was started yesterday by the Directors RDD of both regions and DPOs of the district. The Directors RDD will publish and invite objections on reserved Wards on March 30 giving 15 days time to the people (for objections). The reserved Wards would be finalized on April 10.
The electoral rolls for Panchayat constituencies were likely to be finalized by May 10 after which notification for the elections can be issued anytime by the State Election Commission depending on the decision taken by the State Government, which will be at helm of affairs in the State at that time.
Sources said the State Election Commission has appointed DPOs in all districts as Nodal Officials for all election related activities (in their districts).
There were a total of 33,500 Sarpanch and Panch constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir including 4098 Sarpanch and 29402 Panch segments.
Of 4098 Sarpanch constituencies, 2145 were in Kashmir division (including Ladakh region) and 1953 in Jammu division while out of 29402 Panch constituencies, there were 15,767 in Kashmir division (including Ladakh region) and 13635 in Jammu region.
The last Panchayat elections in the State were held in May-June 2011 and the Panchayats were constituted in July 2011. The five years term of the Panchayats will come to end in July this year.
“If the Panchayat elections were held on time, which seems to be a clear possibility going by the preparations set in motion by the Election authorities, this will be after several years that the Panchayat elections in the State will be held on schedule,’’ sources pointed out. They recalled that prior to 2011, the last Panchayat elections in the State were held in 1974.
Similarly, the last Municipal elections were held in January-February 2005 and the elected Municipalities had completed their five years term in March 2010 but the elections were not held to them by the successive Governments.
The elections to the Municipalities in 2005 were held after 1979.
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