New Delhi, Feb 6: A bill to give reservations to members of Other Backward Classes in Jammu and Kashmir’s panchayats and municipalities as well as to align local body rules in the Union territory with the Constitution’s provisions was brought up for consideration by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and is scheduled to be passed by the House. On Monday, the bill was presented to the House. The Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act of 2000, the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act of 2000, and the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act of 1989 are all intended to be amended by this bill. According to Rai, the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act’s provisions regarding the state election commissioner “are at variance” with the Constitution. Hasnain Masoodi, a member of the National Conference, participated in the discussion and stated that the government has not set a date for assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which became a union territory after Article 370 was repealed and bifurcated. He stated that the Supreme Court’s decision to impose an upper bound on the holding of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir is a source of “shame” for the government. The National Conference has also called for Jammu and Kashmir to be granted its own state again.Participating in the discussion, Saugata Roy, a member of the Trinamool Congress, claimed that the BJP could not be trusted in local body elections and that the Supreme Court had imposed restrictions on the Chandigarh mayoral election process. He also called for Jammu and Kashmir to hold early assembly elections.
