Preparations underway for Panchayat, ULB polls in Jammu & Kashmir

Preparations are underway in Jammu and Kashmir for polls for Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The grassroots polls were last held in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018. The terms of Panchayats and UBLs ended in November last year.

The elections were delayed as the report from a Commission to decide the percentage of reservations to Other Backward Class (OBC) was awaited.

Several new categories were added to the OBC after the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission will have to submit its report by the end of February.

As there is reservation for OBC, the elections will be tightly fought contest as all political parties are likely to field candidates from OBC. Even when elections are conducted on non-party basis, political parties field their candidates who, after winning, join the political parties that backed them.

The State Election Commission is currently making the necessary preparations to organise the polls as soon as possible. This information was shared by the government in the legislative assembly on Wednesday in response to a question raised by MLA Surjeet Singh Salathia.

In a written reply, the government explained that the responsibility for overseeing and managing these elections lies with the State Election Commission.

The Commission is actively engaged in setting up the arrangements needed to conduct both Panchayat and ULB elections promptly.
The reply also mentioned the legal procedures for announcing these elections. According to Rule 7 of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, the government, after consulting with the election authority, will issue an official Gazette notification announcing the dates for Panchayat elections. This notice will call on village constituencies, known as Panchayat Halqas, to elect their sarpanches and panches (village heads and council members).

For municipal elections, the process is outlined under Rule 3 of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation and Municipal (Elections) Rules, 2003. It states that once the government issues directions, the State Election Commission must start preparing or updating the electoral rolls for the municipal areas as per the rules.

Although the government did not specify a date for the elections, it confirmed that it is committed to conducting them promptly and upholding democratic processes at the grassroots level.

India