AJKPC lauds Govt’s decision on Panchayat by-elections

AJKPC chairman Anil Sharma addressing press conference in Jammu on Thursday. —Excelsior/Rakesh
AJKPC chairman Anil Sharma addressing press conference in Jammu on Thursday. —Excelsior/Rakesh

*Declares to launch massive campaign

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Feb 13: While lauding the decision of Union Territory (UT) Administration to hold eight phase Panchayat by-elections, the All J&K Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today announced to campaign for these elections.
“We will campaign in these elections to frustrate the designs of those forces who are hell bent to disrupt democratic process in J&K”, Anil Sharma chairman of the AJKPC told media persons.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailender Kumar on Thursday announced eight phase Panchayat by-elections to fill 12,650 vacant seats of Sarpanchs and Panchs in UT. Polls will be held for 11,639 Panch and 1,011 Sarpanch vacancies in 20-districts of UT between March 5 and March 20.
“It is big step to strengthen democratic institutions at the grass-root level”, he said and hailed decision of the administration to conduct elections as per real spirit of the 73rd Amendments of the Indian Constitution. He said that strengthening Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) in J&K is necessary to decentralize power at the grass-root level.
Meanwhile, AJKPC today constituted J&K UT body to intensify its activities.
State vice presidents are- Ram Saroop Sharma from Jammu, Amjad Hussain Katana (Anantnag), Jatinder Singh (Jammu), Desraj Bhagat (Jammu), Pawan Sharma (BDC, Reasi), Vikas Sharma (BDC, Rajouri), Hansraj Thakur (Udhampur), Rahul Sharma (BDC, Chownki Choura Jammu), Ajay Bharti ( South Kashmir), Vijay Choudhary (Jammu) and S. Raja Singh (Jammu). Two State general Secretaries are- Bilal Ahmed Wani ( South Kashmir) and S Ravinder Singh (Jammu).
State secretary are- Mohammed Aslam Mir (Reasi), Balwant Raj Sharma (Udhampur), Surinder Singh
(Kathua), Rohit Sharma (Jammu), Mahinder Singh (Rajouri), Sunil Dutt Sharma (Udhampur), Younus Mohammed (Doda), NR Bhagat (Kistwar), Swarn Singh (Udhampur), Tohid Malik (Bani Kathua)
Pathan Singh is district president for Jammu, Sanshar Singh Jamwal from district president, Udhampur, Anil Kumar district Rajouri, Raj Kumar Sharma district Reasi, Ravinder Singh Sambyal district Samba, Abhay Khajuria district Kathua, Nirmal Kesar – Distt Udhampur.
Parveen Akhtar from Kashmir is convener Women wing, Rajini Choudhary Covener Jammu wing and Nishat Co- Convener Women Wing from Udhampur.