Hold panchayat elections within 90 days or face agitation: AJKPC to J&K govt

Jammu: Expressing concern over the delay in conducting panchayat elections, the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on Saturday asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to hold the polls within 90 days or face an agitation.

Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha assured people in November last year that the elections to the panchayats and urban local bodies (ULB) would be held soon. These elections were last held in 2018.

The panchayats and ULBs completed their term more than a year ago. The elections could not be held on time due to various reasons, including the delimitation exercise and reservation of wards for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

"The issue (of holding panchayat polls) is urgent because panchayats play a vital role in local governance. Their prolonged inactivity has hindered development and left rural residents without proper representation or an avenue to voice their concerns," AJKPC president Anil Sharma said.

He said holding elections on time and redefining boundaries is essential for reviving democracy and improving governance in the region.

"The term of panchayats... in J&K expired on January 9, 2024, and the J&K government, through an order, appointed block development officers as administrators of panchayats.

"For over a year now, the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) have been defunct and there seems to be no sincere effort by the government to hold these elections. Even the State Election Commission appears to be silent on the matter," Sharma said.

Cautioning the government and the poll body, Sharma said, "If elections to panchayats are not held within 90 days, the AJKPC will launch a mass agitation." He also said that AJKPC functionaries would soon be meeting LG Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and the state election commissioner to press their demand for immediate action.