New Delhi, Feb 6: On Tuesday, members of the opposition in the Lok Sabha asked the administration to call early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. During a discussion on The Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Hasnain Masoodi (NC) made a call for the early holding of elections in the union territory. He claimed that before the Supreme Court had to get involved, the national government ought to have made a decision regarding the polls. A few months ago, the highest court ordered the Election Commission to schedule assembly elections for September of this year in Jammu and Kashmir.Masoodi stated On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that important choices will be made by his cabinet. According to Masoodi, elections in the union territory ought to be conducted before any further significant choices are made. Ajay Misra, the minister of state for housing, stepped in to point out that elections for local bodies were held in the previous state. TMC politician Saugata Roy spoke during the debate, bringing up the Supreme Court’s observation and advocating for early Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. By virtue of Article 370’s abrogation, Jammu and Kashmir became a union territory on August 5, 2019, complete with a legislative assembly provision. The UT is currently governed centrally.The NCP’s Supriya Sule requested that the administration provide a timeframe and a definitive response regarding the staging of assembly polls and the awarding of statehood to the people of J&K. She said the government could at least provide a rough schedule for when the democratic exercise will take place, even if the Election Commission will choose the date. The Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, according to Jammu BJP member Jugal Kishore Sharma, will provide justice for the other backward classes (OBCs) in the UT. According to Chinta Anuradha of the YSRCP, this legislation is progressive and will facilitate the smooth running of local elections, such as those for panchayats.Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai moved the bill for discussion, stating that the OBCs in J&K, who had previously been disregarded, had been placed on the path of development following the repeal of Article 370. The OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir will receive justice thanks to this measure. OBCs are not currently able to reserve seats in panchayats or municipalities within the Union territory.
