ULB elections could be delayed in J&K says LG Manoj Sinha

JAMMU: The statement of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha suggests that the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections in Jammu and Kashmir may face a delay. He said the elections could only be held after the completion of the delimitation exercise and the process to reserve seats for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The tenure of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation expired on November 5, while five-year tenure of the Jammu civic body concluded on Tuesday, November 14. Tenure of other civic bodies will conclude by the end of November 2023. Last local body elections were held in the union territory between October and December 2018, which faced similar delays.

LG’s statement came during an event organised to felicitate councillors who have completed their five-year tenures. In his statement given to Indian Express, Manoj Sinha said, “The elections for urban local bodies would be held after completion of the delimitation exercise of wards and reservation of wards for Other Backward Classes”.

J&K has been under the President’s Rule since the dissolution of the erstwhile state legislature in 2018. Plus local parties in the union territory have been demanding to resume the electoral process from the central government. According to the Supreme Court of India, three conditions need to be fulfilled in formulating the reservation plan, including creating a dedicated commission to gather empirical data regarding the OBC population, clearly specifying the proportion of reservations and ensuring that the cumulative share of reservation should not breach the 50 per cent cap.