Jammu, June 14: The Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commission (SEC), in consultation with the Union Territory administration, is set to depute official teams to neighbouring Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to study the pattern and conduct of recent Local Body elections held in the two States as preparations gather pace for long-pending grassroots polls in the Union Territory.
Official sources said the teams will examine various aspects of the electoral process, including polling procedures, reservation patterns, nomination mechanisms and administrative arrangements adopted during the Local Body elections in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The findings are expected to help the Commission formulate an appropriate roadmap for conducting Panchayat and Municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources revealed that the SEC is also examining demands for the introduction of bi-lingual electoral rolls to facilitate voters across different regions of the Union Territory. The proposal is under consideration and may be reviewed before the election schedule is finalised.
Jammu and Kashmir has been without elected representatives in all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj system as well as Urban Local Bodies for a considerable period, with the absence of elected institutions affecting grassroots governance and civic administration.
However, officials indicated that the ongoing preparations for the forthcoming Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra have shifted the immediate focus of the administration towards ensuring the smooth and secure conduct of the annual pilgrimage. As a result, the process related to Local Body elections could witness some delay until the completion of the Yatra.
The SEC, meanwhile, is understood to be working on various procedural and logistical aspects to ensure that whenever elections are announced, they are conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner across Jammu and Kashmir.
The move to study election models adopted by neighbouring States is being viewed as a significant step towards reviving democratic institutions at the grassroots level in the Union Territory.(KNC)
