Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir union territory administration has set up an apex committee and two divisional level committees for 'drawing road map and schedule' for conducting by-elections to nearly 12,000 vacant panchayat seats and Block Development Councils (BDC).
According to an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), the apex level committee to be headed by the Principal Secretary Home Department. The committee will also include Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir Additional Director General of Police (CID), Commissioner Secretary Transport Department, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir/Jammu Secretary and its member.
The order further stated that two Divisional level committees in Kashmir and Jammu having respective divisional commissioners, IGPs and Directors of Rural Development as their members will conduct a ground assessment for holding elections.
While the divisional level committees will submit their report to the apex committee on September 21, the Apex committee has been directed to submit its detailed report to the government by September 28.
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“The committees would do their exercise based on inputs provided by the Divisional Level Committees and ground-level assessment taking into consideration security, logistics, personnel, equipment, assessment of manpower, transport and all other requirements,” the order said.
The decision has been taken over a month after the new Lieutenant Governor has taken up reins of the administration and resumed the political process in Jammu and Kashmir which was frozen after the modification of the Article 370 on August 5 last year by the BJP-led Central government.
At least 12,000 panchayat seats remained vacant in Kashmir valley when polls were held in November 2018 as due to security reasons candidates did not turn up in these seats to contest elections.
As per official figures, out of 20,093 panch and sarpanch seats in Kashmir, 12,565 seats remained vacant. The figures suggest that only 6,162 panchs and 1,366 sarpanchs were elected in the polls.
In Jammu region, only 166 vacant seats as the election for 15,800 panchs and 2,289 sarpanchs seats were conducted peacefully.
The highest number of vacant panchayat wards are in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district at 2,163, followed by Anantnag with 1,995 wards, 1,940 in Budgam and 1,437 in Pulwama districts. While 923 sarpanch seats are still vacant in Kashmir out of the total 2,182.
The two main regional parties, NC and PDP boycotted these polls as they sought assurance by the central government about safeguarding Article 370 and the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
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After the modification of Article 370 the Chief Electoral Officer had in February this year announced dates for holding polls to these vacant seats in eight phases in March, but they were later deferred due to security reasons.
The administration had also detained several leaders of mainstream political parties including three former Chief Ministers: Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.
