Stormy APM saw PDP walk-out, reservation on polls by others
Security inputs lead to decision
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 18: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar–the Election Authority for conduct of Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir-tonight announced postponement of by-polls for 12,650 seats of Sarpanchs and Panchs scheduled to be held in eight phases from March 5-20, for two-three weeks in view of security and law and order issues.
Kumar told the Excelsior that by-polls which were announced on February 13 have been deferred for two to three weeks after receiving inputs from the Home Department.
“We are giving time to the Government to address security issues which have cropped up,” he said.
Significantly, the decision to defer Panchayat by-polls in the Union Territory came just hours after the CEO chaired an All Party Meeting (APM) on the elections in which almost all political parties, barring the BJP, opposed conduct of polls on party-basis on the ground that several political leaders were under detention and political activities of some others have been restricted.
An official order deferring the elections by the Election Authority tonight said two notifications issued for first two phase of by-elections and poll schedule announced on February 13 have been withdrawn.
“The Home Department of the J&K Government vide its letter No. Home/ISA/237/2019 today advised the Election Authority to consider deferring of the conduct of polls based on credible inputs from the law enforcement agencies. Therefore, in exercise of powers under Section 36 of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, the notification for elections has been withdrawn,” the official order issued by Shailendra Kumar said, adding that after addressing all concerns suitably, fresh schedule will be notified.
Eight-phase elections were scheduled to be held on March 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. Elections had to be completed in first four phases in Jammu division and all eight phases in Kashmir.
Earlier in the day, an APM called by the Election Authority on by-elections to 12,650 seats of Panchayats saw leaders of political parties speaking in different tones though National Conference, PDP, Congress and Nationalist Panthers Party (NPP) were unanimous that detained leaders should be released for holding free and fair polls and all parties should be given level playing field as they observed that the BJP leaders have been given security and freedom to move anywhere which was not the case with other parties.
The BJP, however, strongly countered the Opposition charge saying the parties now raising the bogey of detentions never tried to give powers to the people at grass-root level which the Government at the Centre was doing under the Central Rule in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It said the Opposition was not interested to empower the people and was just raising hue and cry about detentions of its senior leaders.
The CEO told the Excelsior after the APM that he heard the views of representatives of all political parties concerning different departments and will take the issues with them and see whatever is possible.
“I gave my view point to the political parties. Everything has legal process which these parties can follow on some of their issues,” Kumar said.
CPM leader MY Tarigami expressed his strong displeasure to the CEO for ignoring his national recognized political party in such an important meeting and conveyed to him that the CPM has consistently been calling for holding Urban Local Bodies and Panchayat election in J&K. However, he added, situation demands that measures are taken to release all political leader, lift restrictions and allow political activities in the Valley to create atmosphere of participation.
Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, who attended the meeting along with Ghulam Nabi Monga, said he told the CEO that the Congress is not a “boycott party” and will contest the elections but if its leaders are not allowed to move freely it will not be possible for it to field candidates on the party symbol.
“Party basis elections can be held only if leaders of all political parties are provided security and allowed free movement across Jammu and Kashmir. Only a day before our UT president GA Mir was debarred from visiting Kashmir. How we can finalize candidates and campaign in such a situation? Moreover, the CEO should have called the All Party Meeting before holding the elections and not after issuance of notifications for two phases,” Sharma said, adding that security has been given to the BJP leaders only and they were moving freely while leaders of other major political parties have been detained.
PDP leader and former MLC Surinder Choudhary along with party colleague Narinder Singh Raina staged stormy walk-out of the meeting saying top leadership of the PDP was behind the bars, security of all prominent political leaders has been withdrawn, no meetings were being allowed and every kind of political activity has been suspended excepting that of the BJP.
“What is the emergency to hold the elections in such a situation and that too on party-basis when the presidents of two parties who have to issue mandate and campaign for the candidates have been locked for past over six months?” Choudhary asked and said the PDP always wanted to participate in the elections but the Government should have created conducive conditions for that.
BJP leader Rajinder Sharma, however, put up strong defence of holding elections on party-basis and countered effectively what he called the “propaganda’ of NC, PDP, Congress and other political parties.
“These parties who are taking refuge under detention of some of their leaders never tried to hold the Panchayat, Block Development Councils and District Planning and Development Board elections, which the BJP Government at the Centre and the Lieutenant Governor in Jammu and Kashmir are trying to do,” Sharma said, adding these parties don’t want power to reach to the people at grass-root level and were leveling baseless charges of security withdrawal etc.
Sharma said the BJP is committed to establish three-tier Panchayati Raj System in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time.
Nationalist Panthers Party leaders and former Minister Harshdev Singh said the NPP was not averse to conduct of elections but it was duty of the Government and the Election Authority to give level playing field to all political parties and not just to the BJP by withdrawing security cover of all other Opposition leaders, restricting their political activities and keeping number of leaders under detention.
“How the detained leaders will give mandate to their party leaders? How will they campaign? If there are cases against political leaders, book them, if not, release them,” he said, adding the Government as well as the Election Authority were duty bound to ensure that there is free political activity for all parties so that elections are held in free and fair manner.
Harshdev said the BJP was working on ‘One Nation, One Party’ theory by curbing activities of all other parties.
National Conference leader Rattan Lal Gupta regretted in the meeting that letter written by the party to the Election Authority hasn’t been replied so far.
Asserting that time was not conducive for the elections as presidents of two political parties were under detention and PCC (I) chief GA Mir was denied permission to visit Kashmir only a day before, Gupta raised question mark over success of 2018 Panchayat elections asking how 12,650 vacancies arose within a year?
“Ignoring the ground realities, an attempt is being made to push agenda of just one party,” Gupta said.
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