Panchayat, ULB elections unlikely this year

Jammu, Oct 18: Contrary to anticipation, much-awaited elections to Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Jammu and Kashmir, after the successful conduct of assembly polls, seem to be unlikely this year.

Though officially, no statement has been made on this account yet a clear indication has come after the Union Territory Government has extended the term of the “Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission” up to December 31, 2024.

Is there any development forward regarding the conduct of Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) polls?

Response to this query posed by Greater Kashmir to State Election Commissioner (SEC), J&K, B R Sharma, was very precise. “No,” Sharma said.

Does the extension of the term of the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission up to December 31, 2024, mean that local bodies’ polls will be unlikely this year?

When asked this, the SEC stated, “You are telling me this. I don’t know about it.”

On October 16, an order issued by Secretary, J&K, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Achal Sethi, read, “In continuation to Government Order No 10622-JK(LD) of 2024 dated June 11, 2024, read with Government Order No 13620-JK(LD) of 2024 dated July 30, 2024, sanction is hereby accorded to the extension of the term of the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission up to December 31, 2024.”

The Commission was constituted on June 11, 2024, for facilitating reservations to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Local bodies i.e., Panchayats and Municipal bodies in J&K.

Headed by Justice (retired) Janak Raj Kotwal, the Commission also comprised retired IAS officer Raj Kumar Bhagat and ex-Dean Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Jammu, Mohinder Singh Bhadwal.

It (the Commission) was tasked to determine the percentage of reservations to OBCs in Panchayats, ULBs, Block Development Councils and District Development Councils, decks for which were cleared by the Parliament in February this year.

For this reason (non-determination of reservation percentage for OBCs), the elections to local bodies in J&K due last year could not be held.

Earlier this month, the State Election Commission (SEC) had asked all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to provide “soft copies of final Panchayat electoral rolls.”

It had asked all the DCs to provide soft copies of the final Panchayat electoral Roll-2024 (without photo) for uploading on its (SEC’s) website.

Following this communiqué, it was anticipated that the process for J&K Panchayat elections was also likely to commence by the end of this year after the decision on the OBC reservation.

It is presumed that the newly elected J&K government now will take a call on this account.