Jammu and Kashmir local body elections 2019 Highlights: Independents bag 217 blocks, BJP 81

J&K Chief Electoral Officer, Shailendra Kumar on Block Development Council (BDC) election: The party wise position looks like this - BJP 81, Indian National Congress 1, Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party 8, BSP 0, Independent 217 - total comes to 307. ANI

Nearly 100 per cent polling was recorded in the maiden Block Development Council (BDC) election in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, with the Congress, NC and PDP boycotting the first electoral exercise after abrogation of the state's special status. "98.3 per cent polling was recorded in J-K", Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shalinder Kumar said. The polls to elect chairpersons of BDCs were held in 310 blocks in the state and 1,092 candidates were in the fray, of whom 27 were elected unopposed. Srinagar district recorded 100 per cent polling followed by Reasi (99.7 per cent) and Jammu (99.5 per cent) polling. There were 26,629 electors -- 8,313 women and 18,316 men -- for the polls to elect chairpersons of BDCs, officials said. PTI

Nearly 100 per cent polling was recorded in Jammu district in the maiden Block Development Council (BDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The electoral exercise, the first in the state after abrogation of its special status, was boycotted by the Congress, the National Conference and the PDP.

"Jammu district has registered a polling percentage of 99.5. Out of the 2,703 voters, 2,690 voted in 20 blocks," District Electoral Officer Sushma Chauhan said. The polling percentage till 11 am was 50 per cent and when it ended at 1 pm it was 99.5 per cent, she said. Polling in Jammu began at 9 am. Chauhan said 1,797 men and 893 women exercised their franchise. The polls to elect chairpersons of BDCs was held in 310 blocks in the state and 1,092 candidates were in the fray, of which 27 were elected unopposed. PTI

After the final withdrawal of nomination papers, 1,065 candidates are in fray for the BDC polls across the 22 districts of the state, election officials were quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Twenty-seven candidates have been elected chairpersons in various block development councils (BDC) of the state unopposed. There are 316 blocks in the state, out of these two are without elected panches or sarpanches besides, four blocks have been reserved for women. Thus, the elections would be held in 310 blocks, officials said. PTI

Meanwhile, counting of votes for Maharashtra and Haryana is underway. The BJP-led NDA has taken a comfortable lead in Maharashtra, where it leads in 166 seats in the 288-member Assembly. In Haryana, a more interesting scenario is playing out where both BJP and Congress bagged 35 seats each in the 90-member House.   Follow Maharashtra, Haryana Election Results 2019 LIVE UPDATES 

Official figures reveal that 61 per cent of panch seats in the Valley are vacant. Of the 18,833 panch seats in Kashmir, panches have been elected in only 7,596, as there were no candidates in the remaining seats. And of the 7,596 elected panches, the government has notified only 7,308, as only one panch was elected in 288 panchayats. The figures are similar for the sarpanches as well. According to government figures, over 45 per cent sarpanch seats in the Valley are vacant. Of the 2,375 sarpanch seats in the Valley, 1,558 have been elected, and only 1,311 notified.

The security has been tightened in all polling centres across Kashmir with steel barricades being put up on the roads by government forces.

Jammu and Kashmir: Voting underway in Doda for Block Development Councils (BDC) elections pic.twitter.com/k1FlHsw2GE

— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2019

It’s the first time that elections to the blocks, the second tier of grassroots democracy after panchayats, are being held in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Questions have, however, been raised over the credibility of the process in the Valley given that the entire mainstream leadership, barring the BJP, is in jail and the National Conference, PDP and the Congress have decided to stay away from the polls that are being held on party lines. Officials claim the BDC elections will pave the way for elections to the District Planning and Development Boards (DPDB), the third tier of panchayati raj, and thus spur development in the state. “It is for the first time that DDB would be emerging out of popularly elected local self-governments,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar told The Sunday Express.

Jammu & Kashmir Block Development Council elections - Total Voter turnout till 11 am in Udhampur 50.39%, Reasi 53.88%, Rajouri 62.93%. Polling is underway smoothly amidst tight security.  

In other news,  the Supreme Court on Thursday posted petitions challenging alleged communication and blackout in Jammu and Kashmir for November 5.  A three-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana asked the government on how long it intends to continue with the restriction in the state after the abrogation of Article 370. 

Ballot boxes will be used during the polls as the election shall be held through a secret ballot.    

                            Source: ANI 

Jammu district electoral officer Sushma Chauhan said there were no reports untoward incident reported from anywhere in Jammu. Tight security has been put in place at all the polling stations and candidates to ensure peaceful polling. Due care has been taken about the security of panchs and sarpanches who are going to vote for the BDC polls, the officials said.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be held from 9 am-1 pm and the results would be announced later in the day. State Chief Electoral Officer Shailender Kumar said, "the polling has started at all the polling stations from 0900 hours this morning. There have been no reports of a delay from anywhere."

The strength of the electorate is 26,628 panches and sarpanches. These are from among the 23,376 panches and 3,847 sarpanches who were elected in undivided Jammu and Kashmir in November-December last year. Those panchayat elections, held over nine phases, had a very poor response. Within Kashmir, a huge number of seats remain vacant —11,264 of 18,833 panch seats (61 per cent) and 1,311 of 2,375 sarpanch seats (34 per cent). Of the 7,596 panches in Kashmir, more than half were elected unopposed. The State Election Commission said only 1% of the seats in Ladakh division and 2% in Jammu are vacant. Chief Electoral Officer Kumar said the vacant positions will be filled within one year, and if needed the BDC elections for those seats will be conducted separately.

While voting begins in Jammu and  Kashmir to elect  Block chairpersons,  counting is underway in Maharashtra and Haryana assembly seats.  Early trends show that BJP is leading in both states. Follow Maharashtra, Haryana Election Results 2019 LIVE UPDATES

Block chairpersons are elected at the second tier of the Panchayati Raj system, between the election of panches and sarpanches by the people, and of the election of chairpersons of the District Planning and Development Boards. In a state that has had only four panchayat elections so far (1978, 2001, 2011, 2018), block chairpersons’ elections are being held for the first time. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, it is the panches and sarpanches, elected at the first tier, who subsequently vote for the BDCs in their respective blocks. The elections are being held for 310 of the 316 blocks in J&K and Ladakh. 

As J&K is set to vote today, preparations are underway at polling station number-15 in Rajouri, ahead of Block Development Councils (BDC) elections in the state today. Voting will at 9 AM.  

                                          Source: ANI

Of the 316 blocks, voting will be held in 283 blocks, where over a thousand candidates are in the fray. According to the election department, 853 are independent candidates, while 218 are from the BJP. Candidates in 27 blocks have been elected unopposed. Official records show that while no panch or sarpanch had been elected in two blocks of the Valley, there was no female panch or sarpanch in the four blocks reserved for women — 33 per cent of the blocks have been reserved for women candidates.

With the mainstream political leadership detained since August, and, barring the BJP, all the major parties — NC, PDP and Congress — deciding to boycott the polls, questions are being raised about the credibility of the process.  The Congress’s decision to stay away from the polls was taken by the high command after a review of the situation during a meeting in Delhi, sources said. About participating in the polls, NC provincial president Devender Rana said, “How can we?” Rana had last week led a 15-member delegation from Jammu to meet party leaders Farooq and Omar Abdullah, who are under detention in Srinagar. “No decision can be taken in the absence of leadership,” he said.   The Congress’s decision to stay away from the polls was taken by the high command after a review of the situation during a meeting in Delhi, sources said. About participating in the polls, NC provincial president Devender Rana said, “How can we?” Rana had last week led a 15-member delegation from Jammu to meet party leaders Farooq and Omar Abdullah, who are under detention in Srinagar. “No decision can be taken in the absence of leadership,” he said.

This is the first democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir since the government’s August 5 decision to scrap the special status under Article 370. Over 26,000 panchs and sarpanchs from across the state — elected in November-December last year — will cast their votes in their respective blocks to elect the BDC chairpersons. Read more