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| JK only state without Election Commission | | |
Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
srinagar, May 12: While the uncertainty over holding of Urban Local Bodies and Panchayat elections continues, Jammu and Kashmir has failed to establish a State Election Commission which would take independent decisions for holding such elections.
All the states in India have their own State Election Commission which take independent decisions of holding various elections without remaining dependent on the government.
However in Jammu and Kashmir, government has failed to establish its own State Election Commission which would become an independent body for holding elections in the state.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J&K Shantmanu told Early Times that they have made all the preparations for the Municipal polls. "Now the government has to take the call over holding of these polls. We will conduct the polls only on the request of the state government," Shantmanu said. "Had there been State Election Commission, it would have taken decision on its own without waiting for the government approval," he added.
The constitution of election commission has become imperative in view of the legal complications, which restrict the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir from starting any sort of exercise for urban local bodies and Panchayat elections.
The Panchayat elections will become due in May-June this year.
The CEO said that this Commission should be set-up at the earliest to look after each and every aspect relating to Panchayat elections.
He said in many States of the country such Election Commissions have been established and they are playing crucial role in holding timely elections.
The government had decided of holding Municipal elections in May and Panchayat elections in June in this year. However, sources said government has decided of not holding these polls in view of state budget session of the Legislature starting from May 25 in Srinagar. It will be first budget session of the PDP-BJP government led by Mehbooba Mufti.
"The Municipal and Panchayat polls won't be held for the next two months although the government had decided of holding civic polls by first week of May. Now the budget session is going to start fromMay 25 and there is also then Amarnath Yatra and tourist season.
In Municipal elections, there will be polls on 70 committees, six councils and two corporations.
The ULB polls were held in J&K after a span of 23-years in January 2005. At that time there were 14.5 lakh voters for 76 ULBs. However, the civic polls could not be held since 2011 despite the previous government, the National Conference and Congress had set up several deadlines about holding the elections. The NC-Congress government had set October-November 2011 the April 2012 and later April 2013 as deadlines for holding the civic polls but failed to execute their own decision.
Since then, the uncertainty has been looming large over holding of civic polls in the state resulting lapse crores of central government funds. But after coming into power, the Cabinet of PDP-BJP government led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2015 gave the nod for holding of civic polls in the state.
As per the Governor's directions before the PDP-BJP formed government, the Election Department had completed all formalities for holding the Municipal elections to 78 civic bodies by publishing final electoral rolls and lists of the Reserved Wards on March 31. |
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