JAMMU: The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on Friday announced that it will launch an outreach programme during the upcoming session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to seek support from legislators for early panchayat elections in the Union Territory.
AJKPC president Anil Sharma said delegations of the organisation would meet MLAs from various political parties during the Assembly session, scheduled to begin on September 21, to discuss the issue of pending panchayat polls.
According to Sharma, the delegations will also seek meetings with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and leaders of different legislature parties.
The organisation plans to urge legislators to raise the issue in the Assembly and support the demand for initiating the election process at the earliest.
Sharma said elected panchayat bodies in Jammu and Kashmir have remained vacant for nearly two years and noted that both rural and urban local bodies in the Union Territory are currently without elected representatives.
He maintained that panchayat elections are an important issue affecting governance at the village level and should not be viewed through a political lens. He said the organisation would engage leaders across party lines to build support for holding the elections.
The AJKPC also called on the government to announce a clear timeline for the polls and begin the election process without further delay.
