The Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission is conducting polls for the District Development Councils (DDCs), vacant seats in panchayat and municipal corporations. The elections are becoming performed in eight phases — November 28, December 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 and 19. Polling for seven phases has been concluded and the final phase of polling will take spot on Saturday (December 19). This is the very first election in Jammu and Kashmir right after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
The polling will conclude on December 19 and the counting will take spot on December 22 (Tuesday).
Panchayat By-Elections 2020
The final basic elections to panchayat have been held in 2018. In that election, 33,592 panch constituencies and 4290 sarpanch constituencies had gone to polls. Of these, 22214 panches and 2459 sarpanchs have been elected. The state commission says that vacancies accrued on account of death, resignation, and so on of the elected sarpanches and panches. Another 307 seats of panches and sarpanches fell vacant on account of elections of chairpersons of BDCs in October 2019.
DDCs, Panchayat seats break-up
In Kashmir Division, total quantity of blocks are 137 and panchayat halqas 2182. And the quantity of District Development Councils (DDCs) exactly where elections are becoming held are 140, panchayat halqas 935, vacant panch constituencies 11814. In Jammu Division, quantity of blocks are 148 and panchayat halqas 2109. The quantity of DDCs exactly where polls are becoming held are 140, panchayat halqas 135, vacant panch constituencies 339.
In total, the quantity of blocks are 285 and panchayat halqas 4291. The quantity of areas exactly where polling is becoming performed – DDCs 280, panchayat halqas 1088 and panch constituencies 12153. Among the districts exactly where elections are becoming held are Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Budgam, Pulawama, Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag in Kashmir Division. And Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, Reasi, Kathua, Samba Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch are in Jammu Division.
The Commission is also conducting elections for 234 municipal seats that fell vacant on account of deaths and resignations. Polling in these constituencies had taken spot in 2018 via EVMs. Of the 234 constituencies, 228 seats are in Kashmir Division and 6 are in Jammu. Here also, the elections are becoming performed in eight phases. The final phase of voting will take spot on Saturday (December 19).
BJP vs Congress vs Gupkar
The fight in J&K is amongst the BJP, Congress and the Gupkar Alliance — formed by all regional parties such as Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP and Farooq Abdulla’s National Conference (NC). The alliance was formed to jointly fight for the restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The NC and PDP had boycotted the prior nearby body polls held in 2018. But this time, each the parties entered the fray, saying they do not want to give the saffron celebration a no cost run in J&K. The BJP has deployed a barrage of leaders which includes ministers for campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress also is contesting the polls but most important contest is anticipated to be the BJP and Abdulla-led Gupkar Alliance.
No EVM this time, polling via ballot boxes
The election is becoming performed making use of ‘Ballot Papers’. In its notification, the state commission stated that it has created obtainable enough numbers of ballot boxes for the smooth conduct of elections. In 2018, the elections to nearby bodies had been held making use of EVMs.
Videography through counting of ballots
The commission is video graphing all crucial events, which includes collection and counting of ballot papers. It has, in its notification, directed district panchayat election officers to arrange enough quantity of video and digital cameras and camera teams for the goal. The events for videography will involve storage and distribution of ballot boxes, vital public meetings, method of dispatching of postal papers, polling method and counting of votes on December 22.
Documents for identification goal
Electoral Photo Identity Cards
Passport
Driving Licence
Service identity card by state/central governments, public restricted providers
Bank, Post workplace passbooks with photographs
Income Tax Identity, PAN card with photographs
Aadhaar card
MNREGA job cards issued in J&K Union Territory with photographs
Health Insurance Smart Card issued by Ministry of Labour
Pension documents
Photo voter slip issued by Election Authority
Who is banking on what
The BJP has been targeting the Gupkar Alliance by raking up Roshni Act (now referred to as scam). The Roshni Act was introduced by then Congress chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The notion was that the state land that had been illegally encroached upon by persons can be regularised by charging marketplace price. The reduce-off date was 1990, but it was extended twice in 2005 and 2007. In the meantime, persons kept encroaching the state land.
It is alleged that the mainstream political parties and their leaders allegedly constructed their homes and workplace premises on encroached land. Even former Chief Ministers Farooq and Omar Abdullah have been named by the state authorities as illegal encroachers of land beneath (now unconstitutional) Roshni Act. Farooq Abdullah’s sister Suraiya Matto has also been named as an alleged illegal beneficiary. The BJP has been raising corruption charges against Abdullahs.
The Gupkar Alliance, on the other hand, fighting the BJP more than particular status, and statehood concerns. The Alliance has been raising democracy, human rights, restriction on political leaders, and “unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370” concerns to corner the BJP. In a tweet, Mufti not too long ago stated that for the BJP, J&K is not a political but a religious challenge that can only be solved by altering the religious composition, by making certain Muslims grow to be a minority in the only Muslim-majority state.