Srinagar: The stage is set for the Block Development Council (BDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir with over 3300 Sarpanchs and Panchs to cast votes in favor of 520 candidates amid tight security cover on Thursday.
The campaigning for the polls culminated today across Jammu and Kashmir. The state is set to go for polls on Thursday while as the results will be declared on the particular day.
Sources told wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that over 3300 Sarpanchs and Panchs across Jammu and Kashmir will exercise their franchise Thursday while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed the support of 1500 among them.
Reliable sources divulged that 27 candidates were elected unopposed while 22 among them are affiliated with BJP.
Notably, many political parties including Congress, National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Conference (PC) and others decided to boycott the polls, citing continuous detention of paty leadership. The parties also alleged that the polls are being conducted to ensure the win of single party (BJP).
The two parties among them including NC and PDP boycotted the Panchayat as well as Municipal polls in Jammu and Kashmir, held in previous year, as mark of protest against the government for among attempts at that time to abrogate the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370).
Sources said that 520 candidates are in the fray, whose fate will be decided by over 3300 Sarpanchs and Panchs on Thursday.
Officials told KNO that adequate security arrangements were put in place to ensure smooth conduct of elections. “We have made tight security arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of elections,” he said.
The BDC polls are held for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir. The government had stated that the Panchayat Raj system will be strengthened in the State to ensure development on the grass roots level.
Pertinently, the elections are being conducted seven days before the State will be bifurcated into two Union Territories. The decision to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir was taken by the central government on August 05, besides repealing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. (KNO)
