If approved, number of elected representatives to go up
New system can lead to enhanced funding
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 14: The Government is soon expected to take a final decision on election of ‘Area Sabha Members’, who could be three to four in numbers under one Corporator, Councilor or Member of Municipal Corporations, Councils and Committees who, if approved, will be elected directly. They will act as Advisors to their Corporator/ Councilor/Member.
As Urban Local Bodies elections are due to be held in September-October on completion of five-year term of the Municipalities, the Government will have to take a decision on whether the ‘Area Sabha Members’ will be elected or it will go with last election’s system of election for Corporators/ Councillors and Members of the Corporations/Councils/ Committees.
Official sources told the Excelsior that similar system is prevalent in some States/Union Territories and has worked successfully but there constituency of Corporators/ Councillors/ Members of the Urban Local Bodies is quite large as compared to Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the sources, there could be three to four ‘Area Sabha Members’ within a constituency of Corporators, Councillors and Members. In a segment of 4000 votes, the ‘Area Sabha Member’ seat can be based on around 1000 votes and so on, if the proposal gets nod.
“All four ‘Area Sabha Members’, if elected, will act as Advisor to their Corporator, Councilor or Member, as the case may be, and work under him,” sources said, adding that this way number of elected representatives in Urban Local Bodies will significantly go up.
However, a decision on this has to be taken up first by the Housing and Urban Development Department and then approved by the Administrative Council headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
“If approved, the Chief Electoral Officer has to earmark constituencies for ‘Area Sabha Members’ and prepare final lists of voters,” sources said.
Asserting that the ‘Area Sabha Member’ could help the Corporator/Councilor/Member in efficient working as they will serve their eye and ear in the constituencies especially those which are quite large, sources said this will also enhance representation of the public provided that the proposal is approved by the Government.
At the same time, sources admitted that in some Councils and Committees, the constituencies are too small to have the ‘Area Sabha Members’. However, they said, in such segments, number of the ‘Area Sabha Members’ can be reduced from three to four to two.
“Creation of ‘Area Sabha Members’ constituencies can also increase funding in the segments as is the case in other States/Union Territories,” sources said.
Sources pointed out that term of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) will complete on November 5 and that of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) on November 14 while terms of all Councils and Committees in Jammu and Kashmir will end between October-November.
Term of Urban Local Bodies is counted from the day of their first meeting while that of Panchayats is taken into account the day they were constituted.
“In such a scenario, elections to Urban Local Bodies are required to be completed before the end of October and that of Panchayats in middle of December this year,” sources said.
Term of the Block Development Councils (BDCs) will end in October 2024 while the District Development Councils (DDCs) will complete their tenure in January 2026.
Sources said the Jammu and Kashmir Government will take a decision after taking security situation and other arrangements in consideration on when to hold the elections. A call is expected only after completion of Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage on August 31.
“As per the procedure, separate revision in the electoral rolls has to be carried out for Panchayat polls while for Urban Local Bodies, the rolls can be extracted from the general Summary Revision,” sources said.
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