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J&K panchayat elections to be held on Jan 5

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Twice postponed in the past, the panchayat [village council] elections in Jammu and Kashmir will now be held on January 5, 2001.

Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah announced this in the state assembly on Tuesday while intervening in a discussion on a private member's bill seeking to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989.

Dr Abdullah said the elections would be contested on a non-partisan basis. He said he was committed to holding the elections, and "I will fulfil my commitment, come what may".

The state government had earlier announced that the polls would be held in June this year after they were postponed last year. But later it said that in view of the census operations in Kashmir the panchayat elections would have to be postponed.

The census was, however, banned by the militant Hizbul Mujahideen. As a result, state government employees are refusing to associate themselves with the operation, forcing the government to consider extending the deadline for completing the census.

As regards reservation for women in the panchayats, Dr Abdullah said 33 per cent of the seats had been kept aside for them to ensure that they are represented in the village councils and can participate in the affairs of these grassroots institutions.

Abdullah said that in some areas of the state, "women are not forthcoming for contesting elections", so it had been decided to give them representation through nominations first. Later, the Act would be amended to replace nominations by elections.

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