The Election Commission of India (ECI) would determine whether required percentage of electors and local bodies are available to hold elections for six seats of the J&K Legislative Council, a top officer told Greater Kashmir on Friday.
To begin with, the poll-body has written to the state’sChief Electoral Officer (CEO) to submit details about percentage of localbodies and electors available in the constituencies reserved for Panchayats andUrban Local Bodies in the state’s Upper House.”We have received a letter fromECI seeking details about local bodies,” CEO Shaliendra Kumar told thisnewspaper.
As per the ECI guidelines, elections for MLC seats of localbodies quota can be held only if at least 75 percent electors out of the totalelectorate are available in a constituency.
The other requirement is that at least 75 percent of localbodies should be functioning in a constituency reserved for Panchayats and ULBsin the Legislative Council.
An official in the ECI said that they have asked the CEO tosubmit the necessary details about total number of local bodies constituencies.”We have also sought information about percentage of electors out of the totalelectorate of a constituency available for electing representatives to theLegislative Council,” he said.
Of four Panchayat quota seats, two each are reserved forKashmir and Jammu regions while out of two seats of ULB quota, one each isreserved for Kashmir and Jammu divisions.
While elected representative of municipal committees,councils and corporations are entitledto cast one vote in the election for ULB quota seats, each Sarpanch and Panchis entitled to cast two votes for candidates in his/her division for Panchayatquota seats.
In February this year, the state government had written tothe poll-body to hold elections for these seats after State AdministrativeCouncil gave its nod for the electoral exercise.
The SAC decision came after elections were held for Panchayatsand municipal bodies by the Governor’s administration in 2018.