J&K panchayat polls: People will continue to choose ballots over bullets, says Mehbooba

Srinagar, Dec 26: Asserting that people in Jammu and Kashmir will continue to choose “ballots over bullets”, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the long overdue Panchayat elections in the state will be held from February 15, next year.

“I’m very pleased to announce that the long overdue Panchayat elections in J&K will be held from February 15, 2018. People in the state have always chosen ballots over bullets & will continue to do so,” Ms Mufti tweeted.
Officials said the Chief Minister during a half-an-hour meet with Governor N N Vohra in Jammu yesterday informed him about the Panchayat elections.
Panchayat elections were due in 2016 but could not be held due to unrest in the Valley following the neutralisation of Hizbul Mujahideen insurgent Burhan Wani in July, last year.
During the last polls, which were held in the state in 2011 after a gap of 37 years, when Omar Abdullah was heading National Conference-Congress coalition government, there were 4,098 Sarpanch and 29,402 Panch constituencies. But 280 new panchayats were added in the state after delimitation, taking to 4,738 their total. number.
With the addition of 4,000 segments, there are 33,402 panch constituencies. 
On November 4, 2017, the Governor had promulgated an Ordinance designating Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir as the State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct the polls in the state. In June 2016, Panchayats in the state completed their five-year term . 
With the 14th Finance Commission having linked funds in the various categories to be spent only through the elected Panchayats and Municipalities, the state lost crores for the failure to hold local body elections.
Official sources said holding of elections to the Urban Local Bodies will enable the state to derive maximum benefit from the 14th Finance Commission Award which provides Rs 5,480 crore for the decentralised democratic framework.
As much as Rs 3,096 crore worth grants under the 14th Finance Commission Award were proposed to be spent through the elected panchayats, which had ceased to exist in the state last year in the event of delay in holding their elections. UNI