STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Congress took serious objections to manner the delimitation of wards in the Panchayats has been undertaken by the government thus vitiating the atmosphere for a fair and transparent electoral exercise to the Panchayat bodies.
Briefing media persons here, Chief Spokesperson JKPCC, Ravinder Sharma took serious note of the arbitrary and hush-hush manner in which entire exercise has been undertaken by the government in the delimitation of wards and Panchayats in the run up to the elections to the Panchayat bodies.
Sharma said while the PDP-BJP government has already diluted the 73rd Amendment by indirect election of Sarpanchs from Panchs and by not constituting the independent State Election Commission, the exercise undertaken for delimitation of wards and Panchayats in an arbitrary and hush- hush manner has led to great resentment amongst people in villages, as the same is being conducted through favoritism and on political consideration.
Sharma said that present coalition having failed on all fronts and has not been able to provide basic facilities like ration on reasonable rates as per scale, power and water to the people, while BJP is on the back foot on all its tall slogans be it abrogation of Article 370, providing voting rights and citizenship to west Pakistani refugees and even domicile certificate, setting up of separate colonies to Kashmiri Pandits and have reducing the duration of Amarnath Yatra etc.
Earlier, prior to amendment the election authority was Chief Electoral Officer but now under amended act, the election authority is State Election Commission. Prior to amendment the delimitation of Panchayats was the job of Directors Rural Development Department but under the Act of 2014, the Sub (CC) to section 36 (D) provided that the Election Commission shall determine and delimit the Halqa Panchayats,” Sharma mentioned.
Sharma mentioned that State Congress Party has already conveyed its serious objections through a letter written to the CEO on 3rd February, 2017, through Senior Vice President, Sham Lal Sharma but there is no response or action on this.
State Congress unit warned government to desist from corrupt practices and conduct free and fair transparent elections in the State. General Secretaries Vikram Malhotra and Th Manmohan Singh were also present in the press conference.
