Polls to fill Kashmir panchayat vacancies likely in February

NC, PDP had boycotted the elections in 2018

OF THE 17,396 WARDS IN KASHMIR, AROUND

11,778 ARE STILL VACANT; ELECTIONS MAY NOT TAKE PLACE IN SNOWBOUND WARDS

SRINAGAR: Hoping to complete the panchayat poll process in Kashmir, the J&K administration is planning to hold elections in villages where polls could not be held in 2018.

Two main regional political parties — the NC and the PDP — had boycotted these polls and as such there were many places where no candidate filed nomination papers.

After completion of the polls, which could be held in February, elections will also be held for chairperson of the district development and planning boards of every district.

Commissioner secretary, panchayats, Sheetal Nanda told Hindustan Times that the process to hold the polls for vacant panchayats has already been finalised.

“We will be doing it very soon and we are ready,” she said, adding that the government will also be holding polls for posts of chairpersons of district development and planning boards.

Of the 17,396 wards in Kashmir, around 11,778 are still vacant. Official’s privy to developments said polls could be held for 11,453 panchayat wards in February as the remaining wards are situated in the snowbound areas.

“We have completed all formalities for polls and elections could be held in February,’’ said an official, requesting anonymity, adding that most of the seats remained vacant as candidates did not file nominations during polls.

The highest number of vacant panchayat wards (2,163 ) are in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, followed by Anantnag with 1,995 vacant wards while in Budgam and Pulwama districts have 1,940 and 1,437 vacant wards, respectively.

Similarly, of the total 2,182 sarpanch vacancies in Kashmir, 923 are still vacant. However, the government is yet to take a decision about the 36 sarpanch vacancies in snowbound areas. Since the 2018 polls, 504 panches have resigned for different reasons.

HIGHEST RESIGNATIONS FROM ANANTNAG

However, the highest number of resignations took place in south Kashmir’s Anantnag with 129 resignations, followed by central Kashmir’s Budgam district with 81 while in Baramulla and Kupwara districts 67 and 61 panches submitted their resignations. After getting elected, 12 sarpanches also resigned with one each resigning in Anantnag and Baramulla

districts. While five sarpanches resigned in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district while one sarpanch resigned in Baramulla, Budgam and Bandipore districts of Kashmir, respectively.

An officer of the panchayati raj department said different reasons were responsible for the sarpanches and panches resignations.

“Threats due to militancy, deaths and panchayat members getting elected as BDC chairpersons are the reasons for the resignations. The process now will be completed soon and after the polls are complete the two-tier system of the panchayati raj system in Kashmir province will be complete.’’

The panchayati raj officials said that over ₹1,400 crores had been deposited in gram panchayats across J&K for different projects in the last few months.

However, absence of panches and sarpanches could mean that these funds will remain unutilised.

Panchayat elections in J&K were held in 2018. At the time the Centre had termed the polls a big success.

The panchayat elections had witnessed good turnout and the central government had promised massive funds for all gram panchayats.

However, due to internet gag despite the availability of funds sarpanches have been unable to utilise the money which is lying in the accounts of the panchayats.