Municipal elections are likely to be held in Jammu Division in three phases and in Kashmir in four phases, with a formal announcement of the results anticipated before the month’s end, reported Daily Excelsior.
The next significant formality before announcing the elections is the release of the final list of reservations, which the Election Authority is anticipated to finish next week before a huge number of objections submitted for draft reserve Wards are finalized.
“The admin is likely to seek additional paramilitary forces for the conduct of elections as existing troopers are busy in anti-militancy operations across Jammu Kashmir,” they claimed.
According to the officials, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) PK Pole has been conducting regular reviews of the preparations for elections to 77 Urban Local Bodies in the UT, including 40 in Kashmir and 37 in Jammu, two of which are Corporations (Jammu and Srinagar) and 19 Councils. CEO Pole also serves as the Authority for holding elections to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The municipal committees make up the rest.
They further stated that the draft reservation list of Wards in Corporations, Councils, and Committees has drawn a great deal of opposition, which the Election Authority has received. Similar to the last election, the Authority has granted women a 33 percent reservation in addition to those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is expected to agree the Government’s proposal for the deployment of extra paramilitary personnel to ensure a smooth election process because municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to be followed by panchayat elections, according to the sources.
The municipal elections should be finished by the beginning of November if all goes according to plan, the report added.