ULB polls anytime in State after mid-April

                                      Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, Mar 13: Setting the stage for holding of Urban Local Bodies elections in State, the Election Department will be undertaking fresh revision of Municipal electoral rolls across the State from March 15 and the exercise is likely to conclude by the middle of April this year.
Reliable sources said, “all preparations have been made for revision of Municipal Electoral Rolls 2013 with reference to January 1, 2013 as qualifying date as prescribed under the J&K Municipal Corporation Election Rules 2003” Sources stated that the office of Chief Electoral Officer has designated several officials as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs)/ Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO’s) for all the Corporations, Municipal Councils/ Committees in the State.
“The process of revision of electoral rolls is likely to be completed within 10 days and during this period all fresh voters can register themselves. Besides, people can come up with their objections or claims after the rolls are put into public domain during this period”, sources said adding, “for the benefit of public the rolls of Jammu and Srinagar Corporations would also be put on their respective websites”.
Source stated that the rolls had also recently been updated in view of the Special Summary Revision of the photo electoral rolls in all Assembly/ Parliamentary constituencies of the State as per the directions of the Election Commission of India.
“All the changes in those rolls have already been incorporated in the Municipal rolls ward-wise and therefore most of the rolls are already updated. But, still the draft rolls will be put into public domain as per the guidelines of the Election Commission for any further correction”, sources elaborated.
Sources asserted that after the revision of rolls, the State Government can take the decision for conducting of elections to Urban Local Bodies at any point of time.
Confirming the decision of holding of revision of Municipal rolls, Chief Electoral Officer, Umang Narula told EXCELSIOR, “the exercise for revision of rolls will be initiated from March 15 with publication of draft rolls and all arrangements are in place for the same.  Thereafter, ten days shall be given to people to file any objection or claims, if any. The time limit can also be extended, if the situation demands so”.
“After disposal of relevant claims and objections, the final electoral rolls are likely to be completed by the first week of next month”, he added.
It is worthwhile to mention here that elections to the ULBs were held in January 2005 after a gap of 26 years. All Municipalities had completed their five years term in March 2010. But, since then the elections couldn’t be held to the ULBs on one pretext or the other.
The Housing and Urban Development Department and the Chief Electoral Officer tried to hold the elections but the process was suspended on one pretext or the other including summer unrest in 2010, updating of voter lists, flow of tourists, inclusion of more areas in JMC and SMC and  creation of more Committees etc.
In September, 2012 the office of the Chief Electoral Officer had received a request from the Housing and Urban Development Department for holding elections to the Municipal bodies in September 2012. Thereafter, it was brought to the notice of the Housing and Urban Development Department that the delimitation of Wards of both Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporations was still to be finalized.
“Subsequently, the delimitation of Wards of Srinagar Municipal Corporation was finalized vide SRO No. 288 dated 4th September, 2012 and Jammu Municipal Corporation vide SRO 333 dated 11th October, 2012”.
The Chief Electoral Officer’s office, thereafter, initiated action for preparation of Municipal electoral rolls for SMC and JMC as well as that of the other Municipal Committees/Councils in the State.
“However, in October 2012, the State Government also asked the CEO to conduct elections to Chairpersons of BDCs. As such, preparations were made for holding of BDC elections and the polls process was initiated but subsequently the elections were cancelled”, sources said, adding that in the, meantime, the Election Commission of India had announced the schedule for conduct of elections to four seats of MLCs from the Panchayats’ quota, which concluded on December 8, 2012.

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