Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 14: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s deadline for holding elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) by the end of December this year wouldn’t be met as the Election Department remained busy with Block Development Council (BDC) and Legislative Council elections from Panchayat quota.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Chief Minister would now have to issue a fresh deadline for holding elections to the Municipalities, which have been hanging fire for past about three years now.
It was in the month of September that Omar had directed Rural Development and Urban Development Departments to hold the elections to BDCs and Municipalities by the end of December this year. The Election Department on the order of the Rural Development Ministry had set the process into motion for holding elections to the posts of 143 chairpersons of the BDC. The Election Department had issued the election schedule with polling on November 7 but the process was cancelled midway after some political parties voiced resentment over lack of reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women in the BDCs.
Within few days after the cancellation of BDC polls, the Election Commission had announced elections to four vacancies of Legislative Council from Panchayat quota, the process for which concluded on December 8.
“We had asked the Election Department to hold the elections to ULBs but they were pre-occupied first with BDC polls and then with Legislative Council vacancies. The issue now would be taken up in the Cabinet as the months of December to February would experience snowfall but since the Municipal elections were confined to towns, there won’t be much impact of snowfall’’, Deputy Chief Minister, Incharge Housing and Urban Development, Tara Chand, said.
Sources said the Election Department had carried out voter revision for Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations while voter revision for six Municipal Councils and rest of the Committees had already been completed in May this year.
The Election Commission would wait the Government nod on whether to hold the BDC elections first or the ULBs. The BDC elections, according to sources, can be held only in March-April as January-February would experience snowfall in the upper reaches. For the BDC polls, the Sarpanchs and Panchs comprised the Electoral College as they had to elect 143 chairpersons to the Councils.
Moreover, the Government was yet to come up with an ordinance proposing reservations for SCs, STs, women and SC/ST women in the BDC elections. The reservations can be given either through an ordinance or by carrying out the amendment in the State Panchayati Raj Act in the Legislature followed by the Governor’s assent. This entire process would take time, sources admitted.
After approval of reservations, the Rural Development Department had to identify the blocks, which would be reserved for SCs, STs and women besides SC/ST women as per the population according to latest figures of the census.
The ULB elections were last held in January 2005 and all Municipalities including the two Corporations in twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar had completed their five years tenure in March 2010. Since then the Government continued to delay the ULB elections on one pretext or the other.
Sources said the Election Department would set the process of holding Municipal elections in motion only after receiving the fresh Government direction as it would like to know whether the Government wanted ULBs elections first or the BDCs.
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