Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 30: Seeking timely elections of Panchayats and Municipalities in Jammu and Kashmir, All J&K Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today organized a special convention of elected PRI members wherein the participants unanimously resolved and demanded that delay in holding Panchayat and Urban Local Body elections will be opposed and such delay would be unconstitutional and against the spirit of democracy.
AJKPC president Anil Sharma along with senior functionaries of the organization while addressing the media persons after the PRIs convention informed that all the participants unanimously passed the resolution and had demanded that the elections of Panchayats and Urban Local bodies in J&K should be held immediately after completion of the present term of these bodies.
Sharma informed that as the tenure of the Municipalities is about to complete in November and Panchayats would complete their term in December this year thus it is imperative that the Government and State Election Commission take appropriate steps so that these important elections are not delayed. ” Any delay in holding PRIs and ULBs elections would be unconstitutional in the light of 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Constitution of India”, he added.
AJKPC president also apprised the media persons that the participants in the convention had also condemned the role of the State Election Commission that has been constituted under J&K Panchayati Raj Act and its statutory duty is to hold timely and impartial elections but till date when the term of PRIs and ULBs are about to end, the State Election Commission has not taken any step in this regard.
The senior functionaries of the AJKPC also accused the J&K Government and SEC of depriving people of their democratic right to choose their elected members. They also suggested that if J&K Government and SEC are unable to hold elections then the term of existing PRIs and ULBs be extended till the elections take place.
Referring to the role of Union Government in strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions in J&K, AJKPC president said that their words must match the action and there should not be any difference between the two. If the Union Government is really sincere in strengthening democratic institutions, then they must intervene in saving grass root level democratic institutions.
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