Srinagar, Dec 12: With Lok Bhavan clearing the amendment passed by the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly to enhance the maximum age of the State Election Commissioner, the Jammu and Kashmir government has set the process in motion to appoint the head of the State Election Commission—the body mandated to conduct Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies polls in the Union Territory.
Authoritative sources said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has nominated senior cabinet minister Sakeena Itoo as one of the members of the selection panel headed by him.
The selection panel also comprises the Minister In-charge of Panchayats, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition, and a senior minister to be nominated by the CM.
With the nomination of Sakeena Itoo, the selection committee is now in place, and the government is expected to convene its meeting soon to recommend a name to the LG for the appointment of the State Election Commissioner.
“The selection committee meeting will be convened soon,” sources said.
The State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of the CM-led selection panel.
The J&K Assembly had earlier passed a bill to enhance the maximum age limit for holding the office of the State Election Commissioner from 65 years to 70. The bill has received assent from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
It is worth mentioning that Jammu & Kashmir is currently without elected Panchayats and municipalities. While the term of urban local bodies ended in November 2023, the elected Panchayats ceased to exist on January 9, 2024. (KNO)
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