BDC elections: Cong to discuss all aspects before taking final call

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 28

Amid political uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress is discussing all aspects to take a final call on participating in the Block Development Council (BDC) elections likely to be held next month.

Although the schedule is yet to be announced for 316 BDCs, the authorities have initiated the process to hold the elections on the party basis. For the first time in the political history of Jammu & Kashmir, the BDC elections will be held.

On Saturday evening, a meeting of the Congress leaders was held to discuss the proposal of the government to conduct the BDC elections on the party basis.

“No decision was taken at today’s meeting to participate in the elections. The party will take all aspects into consideration before making any announcement on participating in the BDC poll,” a senior Congress leader told The Tribune, adding “the party leadership would evolve a consensus before taking the final call”.

Sources said the Congress leaders were likely to hold interaction with other parties, including the NC, PDP and Panthers Party to mount pressure on the government.

On Wednesday, the government had announced to conduct the BDC elections on the party basis and this decision had evoked strong resentments from different political parties.

There are a total of 316 BDCs, including 147 in the Jammu region, 136 in Kashmir and 31 in Ladakh, in the state. The government has already announced 33 per cent reservation for women, besides SCs as per their population. A total of 105 BDCs will be reserved for women.

The Congress, at its Saturday’s meeting, expressed surprise that on the one hand, the government had decided to hold the BDC elections on the party basis, while on the other hand, all senior leaders of the Opposition parties had been detained.

The meeting expressed serious concern over the continued detention and restrictions on the political movement and all sorts of genuine political activities of the Congress and mainstream pro-India political parties and groups except the BJP in the state since August 4.

The meeting viewed that in this kind of political and security scenario and the “politics of vendetta” being pursued by the ruling class against political rivals, the mainstream parties find it difficult to make this electoral exercise meaningful. The meeting demanded that appropriate and conducive atmosphere should be created by removing all sorts of restrictions on political activities.