jj correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 16: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday that after the conclusion of reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) is implemented, the elections to urban local bodies and Panchayats will be held in the union territory.
Sinha said that after the State Reorganisation Act came into force, the reservation of other backward classes was a constitutional necessity.
“The administration has started the process, and I want to tell those colleagues of mine who were panchs, sarpanches, and ULB representatives that once the exercise concludes, the ULBs and Panchayat polls will definitely be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir,” Sinha said during a function at Baramulla, where a stadium was renamed the ‘General Bipin Rawat Stadium’.
The mainstream politicians in J&K have been critical of the BJP government over the delay in holding polls, including local bodies and panchayats.
Without naming anyone, Sinha hit out at these parties, saying that those who deprived the local bodies of funds during their rule were now doing politics on the issue.
“They want Panchayats to revert back to the old, same situation, but I want to assure you that we will not allow that,” he said.
The Lt Governor remembered the service of General Bipin Rawat in North Kashmir in various capacities and his immense contribution to peace, progress, and prosperity. UNI
