The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (JKPC) has demanded that panchayat elections be held in the Union Territory within a month.
JKPC president Anil Sharma urged the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take immediate steps to ensure the democratic process at the grassroots level is not further delayed.
Sharma criticised the delay in holding panchayat elections despite the state Election Commission being constituted. "It is unfortunate that this institution has remained inactive for over a year, and no one seems willing to raise their voice for it," he said. He said that now that Jammu and Kashmir have an elected government, the responsibility of conducting the panchayat elections falls directly on the chief minister.
"Earlier, we had to appeal to the Union home ministry because there was no government. But now, since we have an elected Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, our direct and clear appeal is to him," Sharma said.
He stressed the importance of conducting these elections without further delay and added the people are eager to elect their representatives. “In 2011, panchayat elections were held under Omar Abdullah's leadership, and even in 2018, when his government was not in power, the elections still took place,’’ he said. “There is no justification for delaying them now."
Also read
- Nothing changed in J&K after elections, says Iltija Mufti; claims she and her mother Mehbooba Mufti are under house arrest
- 'Keep fighting': Omar Abdullah's dig at AAP and Congress as BJP set to rule Delhi
- Engineer Rashid’s health worsens in Tihar, shifted to hospital in New Delhi
- J&K: CM Omar Abdullah orders probe as two civilian deaths spark outrage
Sharma pointed out that the only reason for the delay was the reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Still, with the OBC Commission having submitted its report, the government has no further excuse to postpone the elections. "We fully support OBC reservations, but now that the report is in, the process should move forward without delay," he asserted.
He also praised the growing participation in grassroots democracy. He said, unlike in the past, when candidates had to be persuaded to contest elections, today, multiple candidates in each panchayat are ready to fight for public representation. "The Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference has worked tirelessly to strengthen local governance,’’ Sharma said. “Today, we do not need to convince people to contest elections – they are coming forward on their own." He urged the government to make an official announcement regarding the elections.
"The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve their elected representatives,” Sharma added. “We sincerely appeal to the prime minister, home minister and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take immediate action."
