‘Multiple administrative procedures necessary before panchayat, municipal elections in JK UT’, say officials
Srinagar: Panchayat and Municipal Elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will only be conducted after the requisite administrative procedures are completed, officials said.
Officials have revealed that before these crucial elections can be scheduled, numerous administrative tasks need to be completed.
“The need for these procedures arises from a range of factors, including the implementation of reservation quotas for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and the rectification of discrepancies in the number of eligible voters across different Municipal Wards,” a top official told news agency KNS .
The officials further emphasized that many other additional tasks must be accomplished before these elections.
“While considerations will include security conditions and logistical arrangements for Panchayat and Urban Local Body (ULB) elections, it’s essential to first address various procedural requirements,” he said.
According to the sources, the Urban Local Bodies elections, initially slated for October-November, were postponed to address issues related to granting reservations to OBCs and rectifying deficiencies in the number of eligible voters in different Municipal Wards.
These elections will be conducted once these issues have been resolved. Similarly, the government has proposed providing reservations to OBCs in Panchayats.
The Panchayat elections, originally scheduled for November-December, were set to be delayed pending an amendment to the Panchayati Raj Act to implement OBC reservations, as their five-year term is ending on January 9.
Sources said that in light of these developments, the administration is actively working to balance the complexities of ensuring fair representation for all segments of society while adhering to legal and constitutional requirements.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, the full spectrum of provisions from the Indian Constitution, including those related to OBC reservations, is now applicable to the Union Territory.
“In accordance with the constitutional amendment (Article 342A(3)), it is incumbent upon the State/Union Territory to create a list of socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) that can be utilized for granting OBC reservations. This process entails establishing a dedicated commission to gather empirical data on the OBC population, specifying the proportion of reservations, and ensuring that the cumulative share of reserved seats does not exceed 50 percent of the total seats,” he said.
To address these issues and implement OBC reservations, the Commission was constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir government. The recommendations put forth by this commission await implementation.
It is important to note that, after the government decides on OBC reservations, the next steps will include the identification and reservation of municipal constituencies to ensure proper representation. This phase is expected to be a time-consuming process.
Sources said that the specific timeline for the Panchayat and Municipal elections will become clearer once these administrative formalities have been satisfactorily addressed.
Meanwhile as per the reports, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir, PK Pole, has formally requested the Housing and Urban Development Department to effect a change in the Election Authority responsible for conducting the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections.
This change would entail shifting the jurisdiction from the CEO to the State Election Commission (SEC).
Furthermore, the request includes ensuring that the reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) does not exceed the 50 percent upper ceiling. Additionally, the CEO has urged for the initiation of a delimitation process to address discrepancies in the number of eligible voters in various bodies, such as the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), and others, as these discrepancies were brought to his attention during the objections sought by his office. (KNS)