Fill State Election Commissioner’s post at the earliest, demands All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference

All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), a registered body working for strengthening grassroots level democracy in J&K, has demanded filling of the post of the State Election Commissioner at the earliest.

AJKPC president Anil Sharma criticised the elected representatives of all political parties, alleging that their silence over the issue showed they were not serious about panchayati raj institutions.

“If they really cared about grassroots democracy and the rights of people at the village level, at least one leader would have raised this issue with the government, the L-G, or even in the media,” he said during a press conference.

He pointed out that the term of BR Sharma ended as the State Election Commissioner a month ago and not a single political party or public figure has shown concern or demanded immediate appointment of a new poll body chief.

According to Sharma, this reflects a worrying trend of neglect toward democratic processes. Sharma alleged that MLAs across party lines are not interested in holding panchayat or urban local body elections and that is the main reason behind their complete silence.

“On issues which are even not related to J&K or are of national importance, they make big statements. But when it comes to something as crucial as local elections, they choose to remain silent,” he added.

He said the AJKPC plans to launch a campaign across J&K to demand early panchayat elections after the completion of the holy Amarnath Yatra.