Nasir Azam
Srinagar, Sep 5: In a first step towards holding urban local bodies’ polls, Jammu & Kashmir’s chief electoral officer on Tuesday unveiled draft reservation proposal of 77 municipalities in the Union Territory.
The draft proposal proposes reservation of wards for women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in J&K’s 77 urban local bodies(ULBs) including two municipal corporations.
According to the proposal, the number of reserved wards for women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in each ULB has been fixed on the basis of prescribed ratio for each category under the municipal laws.
The proposal was unveiled by the CEO’s office to seek objections/ suggestions from the general public over it.
“The Chief Electoral Officer, J&K invites objections/ suggestions in relation to aforesaid proposed notification. Any objections/ suggestions should reach the chief electoral officer, J&K, Nirvachan Bhawan, Rail head complex, Jammu or Darul Intikhab M.A. Road, Srinagar within seven days from issuance of this notice, i.e. 09.09.2023 after which no objections/ suggestions will be entertained,” reads the notification.
According to the proposal, 25 wards will be reserved for women in Srinagar Municipal Corporation while 37 seats would be reserved for women, SCs and STs in Jammu Municipal Corporation.
Of which 25 will be reserved for women, 10 for SCs and two for STs in Jammu Municipal Corporation, the notification states. While SMC has 74 wards, JMC has 75 wards.
The term of the incumbent Municipal Corporations and other Municipalities is ending in the month of October- November. The last ULB polls in Jammu & Kashmir were held in the month of October 2018 when the erstwhile state was under Governor’s Rule. The polls were boycotted by National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, citing “legal assaults” on Article 35A.
