STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Pressing for immediate announcement of the reservation roaster of the chairpersons of District Development Councils (DDCs) and the schedule of elections to the district bodies, JKPCC on Wednesday said that J&K is perhaps only UT where elections were held first and reservation roaster is still awaited.
Taking strong exception to this phenomenon, JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that everywhere in each state and UT, there are properly framed rules and regulations, clearly stating the reservations roaster at each level/tiers of PRIs and the roaster is known to the voters as well as the political parties and candidates, well before the elections.
Accordingly, the parties and people field the candidates and they’re are chosen by the electorates keeping in mind the further prospects of the contesting candidates, he said.
However, here in Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma said, neither the parties nor candidates or voters were aware of the fact, whether the seat of the chairperson of the district, is open or reserved for women, ST or SC and even further like SC/ST women.
The parties and people were deprived to decide to field or choose the candidates accordingly, which sounds totally unreasonable and wrong from all aspects including legal and political, he said.
Urging the announcement of the roaster and schedule of elections without any further delay to end the prevailing confusion and to minimise the ongoing attempts of horse trading, Sharma said that the benefits of political reservation in Parties, is the result of 73rd amendment introduced by Rajiv Gandhi and incorporated in Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Raj Act by the Congress Party in coalition with PDP and NC , in piece meals, at different times ,from panch to district chairpersons for women, SC and ST and the present government had to only issue the roaster prescribing it in the rules, which was not done so far, he added.
