Electoral officer disqualifies 4 BJP councillors

Our Correspondent

Kathua, June 11

In a significant decision, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jammu and Kashmir, today disqualified four BJP councillors who had won elections on the Congress mandate. Those who have been disqualified included president of the municipal council (MC), Kathua, Naresh Kumar.

The four councillors who had won elections on the mandate of the Congress had joined the BJP in October, 2018. After his joining the BJP, Naresh Kumar was elected president of Kathua MC.

Others who have been disqualified included Rekha Kumari, councillor, MC, ward number 6, Ajay Kumar, councillor, MC, ward number 10, and Renu Bala, councillor, MC, ward number 12.

The judgment was passed in a petition filed by advocate Shah Mohd Choudhary on behalf of Pushpa Devi and Baljeet Singh, elected councillors of Kathua MC.

Chief Election Commissioner, J&K, after hearing advocate Shah Mohammad, observed that in the instant case/reference, the merger, as claimed by the respondents, did not fall under the exception laid down under sub-section 2 of Section 18-B of the Act.