Polls for J&K local bodies to conclude by Nov

SRINAGAR: The Jammu & Kashmir government is planning to conclude the urban local body and panchayat elections in the state by November and for the smooth conduct of the polls preparations are on full swing.

The electoral rolls have already been issued and this time instead of ballot papers, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) will be used.

On Wednesday, the state administrative council (SAC) headed by governor, Narendra Nath Vohra, approved the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which facilitates the conduct of elections to the MC in the state through EVMS.

Earlier, the elections to MC were held using the ballot papers under the provisions of the J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000. “To conduct the elections through EVMS, certain amendments were required to be made in the Act, so as to provide for making rules for use of EVMS in these elections. With the passing of this amendment, the urban local body elections in the state of J&K in September-october, 2018, will be conducted using EVMS,” an official spokesman said.

J&K’S chief electoral officer Shaleen Khabra told Hindustan Times that electoral rolls have been issued and process has been initiated. “As of now EVMS will be used in the local body elections. I can’t say whether in panchayat polls EVMS or ballot papers will be used,” he said.

The government has already constituted the state and divisional-level committees, while the state-level committee was headed by principal secretary (home) and J&K’S director general of police, transport department’s principal secretary, additional director general of police (CID) and divisional commissioner Kashmir/jammu will work as its members, the divisional-level committees for Kashmir and Jammu divisions were headed by respective divisional commissioners. The committees will be reviewing security details and other arrangements needed for the elections.

Recently, governor NN Vohra held meeting with various political leaders and leaders of All J&K Panchayat Conference and gave then assurance that these elections would be held on the nonparty basis.

“We had a meeting with the governor and he assured us that the elections will be held on nonparty basis. This is a social institution and its shouldn’t be politicised because then it attracts attention of those people who oppose the election process,” chairman, All J&K Panchayat Conference, Shafiq Mir said, adding that some people with vested interests are trying to exploit this social institution, so elections should be held on nonpolitical basis.

“It was our demand which has been accepted,’’ he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that last panchayat polls in the state were held in 2011 and urban local body elections have not been held for eight years now.

The governor has also undone the amendment passed by the PDP and BJP coalition government through which elections could have been held only for the posts of panches and later sarpanches would been elected from the elected panches only.

However, after the fresh amendment, separate elections will be held for panches and sarpanches in the state.

The elections were scheduled to be held in January, were deferred after the Peoples Democratic Party (Pdp)-bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government-led by Mehbooba Mufti told the Centre that the situation was not conducive for polls. In February, Mufti had called a meeting of all the political parties, following which it was conveyed to the Centre that there could be serious law and order problems in the Valley, especially in south Kashmir, if the elections were held. Since then, there has been no official word about elections.

However, after the imposition of governor’s rule, the Centre had been keen on holding elections in the state.

STATE ADMN COUNCIL APPROVED J&K MC (AMENDMENT) BILL WHICH FACILITATES THE CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS TO MC THROUGH EVMS