Local polls in J&K a possibility, PDP looks to widen its net, seeks out candidates online

Over 35,000 panchayat seats at stake. J&K parties are concerned about their ageing ranks as the young stay away; PDP hopes to change this, to attract youth via online push

The current panchayats and urban local bodies complete their respective terms at the end of this year. (Representational image/File)

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As conversations around panchayat and urban local body polls gather momentum in Jammu and Kashmir, the embattled Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is hoping to make a direct connect with the people. In a first-of-its-kind exercise, the party has put up a four-page questionnaire online inviting applications from those who want to contest, outside of its organisational structure.

The current panchayats and urban local bodies complete their respective terms at the end of this year. Although the Union territory has not had an Assembly election since the collapse of the last PDP-BJP government in 2018, a senior official told The Indian Express that “no one should have any doubts about the conduct of the panchayat polls at their scheduled time”.

Before 2018, the panchayat polls were last held in 2011 in J&K. The National Conference (NC) and PDP had not participated in the 2018 panchayat polls. The NC earlier said that this decision was “a mistake”, and that it would contest the next panchayat elections when they are held.

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The PDP, which has lost a significant number of leaders to other parties, “is going online to go back on the ground”, as explained by party leaders. Though panchayat elections are not contested on party grounds, the contestants are largely affiliated to different parties in their panchayat halqas.

PDP youth president Waheed Para said the online survey was an “attempt to reach out to those outside of any traditional party structure”. “Even those without any connections or reach are also political. This is an effort to reach those people beyond concerns of clout or access,” he said.

Party president Mehbooba Mufti is said to be keen to “engage with young people”. The party has so far received about 1,000 responses from across J&K. As per the PDP, these are “young, educated, informed people who are keen to become part of the grassroots democracy in the region”.

Parties in J&K have been concerned about their leadership being from an older generation, with the young largely staying away from the region’s politics that remains fraught and uncertain.

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In 2018, elections were held for over 35,000 panchayat seats. Over 13,000 seats had remained vacant, the bypolls for which were eventually conducted alongside the District Development Council polls in 2020.

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Even without the 1,437 seats from Leh and Kargil districts now, since they are part of a separate UT, it is a huge number of candidates to field for any party. The PDP said “the online outreach is a way of expanding its own political space to such people who may not want to come to political rallies or engage in organisational events”.

The panchayat elections also come at a time when the government has empowered panchayats through the implementation of the 73rd amendment to the Panchayati Raj Act and greater allocation of funds to them.

In what is being seen as an indication that the local-level polls might be round the corner, on Thursday, former J&K chief secretary B R Sharma took oath as the new State Election Commissioner for J&K.