ULB Polls: CEO issues notification for reservation in all 77 local bodies

Jammu, Sept 05: In a significant development indicating holding of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on time, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Pandurang Pole, on Tuesday proposed a draft for reservations in all the seventy seven ULBs of J&K.
The draft proposed for reservation also includes reservation of wards for women, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in both Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). “In accordance with Section 10-A of the Municipal Corporation Act-2000, and Section 11-A of the J&K Municipal Act-2000, wards are to be reserved for women/SCs/STs in Municipal Bodies of the State,” reads the notification issued by the CEO.
The CEO has proposed to reserve 25 wards for women in SMC, while 25 wards for women, 10 for Schedule Castes and two for Scheduled Tribes have been proposed to be reserved in the Jammu Municipal Corporation. The objections and suggestions over the proposal can be filed in next seven days in the office of CEO. The term of the JMC and SMC is going to end on 29th of October this year and technically the elections must be held before the expiry of term of the Corporations.
In this regard, Secretary, JMC, Parminder Kour said that elections for the Municipal Corporations in J&K would most probably be held before October 29th as we are moving ahead step by step.
“First, there was revision of electoral rolls, then there was their final publication last month and now proposal for reservation has been issued,” she said, while adding, “It all indicates that elections for the Municipal Corporations in J&K would be held well in time”.