Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat polls to be held later this year, says state governor NN Vohra

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra on Saturday promulgated an ordinance, by virtue of which the panchayat polls in the state would be held later this year. Vohra gave his assent to the promulgation of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, an official spokesman said. [caption id=“attachment_2003529” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] He said the governor, who had repeatedly been emphasising on the crucial importance of holding the panchayat polls for the establishment of a three-tiered framework of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), had approved the promulgation of the ordinance, during the Darbar Move period, so that no time was lost in starting the preparations for the pending elections. The governor observed that the establishment of the PRI set-up should ensure an effective participation of the people in the decision-making process and enable them to oversee the implementation of development projects, the spokesman said. Vohra, who had been discussing the matter with chief minister Mehbooba Mufti since the summer of 2016, had been pressing for the early conduct of the polls to both the urban and rural self-governing bodies. The panchayat polls were now envisaged to be held in the winter of 2017-18, the spokesman said. He added that considering the time-frame for the forthcoming polls, the governor had also consented to the issuance of the J-K Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, to empower the chief electoral officer of the state to determine and de-limit the halqa panchayats and conduct the panchayat polls.