Today when the civil polls are imposed on the people of Kashmir the people of intellect within and outside India understand the intents of the urgency Modi government showed in appointing a new governor in Jammu & Kashmir state. Within days after taking the charge the new governor Satya Pal Malik in total disregard and disrespect to the views of the two largest mainstream political parties choose to go ahead with the decision of conducting municipal and panchayat elections in the state. The agenda for the new governor was obviously set much before his taking charge as governor as a new chief secretary of non J&K IAS cadre was sent to take over from B B Vyas a J&K cadre IAS officer known for his distinguished service in the state and more so as principal secretary to three chief ministers and as chief secretary also. The incumbent central government brought in new faces on top key positions for hurting the political sentiments of the people in Jammu & Kashmir. Government directing returning and assistant returning officers not to speak to media about the processing of the nomination papers, conduct of elections and declaration of election results speaks volumes about the democracy the incumbent central government headed by Narendra Modi want to introduce in Jammu & Kashmir state. After pushing in migrant Kashmiri pandits into the electoral fray the state administration working directly under the control of the incumbent central government has started declaring them elected unopposed from muslim majority wards of Kashmir valley. Surprisingly the Assistant Returning Officer Budgam (Headquarter) received seven nomination forms after the expiry of the last date for the Khansahibi municipal committee at Budgam nor Khansahib and Returning Officer appointed for the Budgam district is reported to have said that he does not known the Assistant Returning Officer (Headquarter) Budgam.
In yet another attempt to undermine the authority and power of the highest law making body of the state ,i.e, assembly the State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by the governor has taken decision on diverting powers of the state government to Ladhak Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHD) but surprisingly neither National Conference nor PDP bothers to break silence on the working of the Governor headed State Administrative Council which is crossing all the red lines both in the conduct of the civil elections and devolution of powers to local bodies in the state.
Returning Officer saying that he does not know the Assistant Returning Officer (Headquarter) shows the transparency of the massive electoral exercise the government of Jammu & Kashmir is undertaking to re-establish democratic institutions at the grass roots. State Administrative Council (SAC) taking decisions on devolution of financial and administrative powers without taking the views of the mainstream political is yet another mockery of grass root level democracy and an insult to the idea of local self governance in Jammu & Kashmir. In yet another attempt to undermine the authority and power of the highest law making body of the state ,i.e, assembly the State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by the governor has taken decision on diverting powers of the state government to Ladhak Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHD) but surprisingly neither National Conference nor PDP bothers to break silence on the working of the Governor headed State Administrative Council which is crossing all the red lines both in the conduct of the civil elections and devolution of powers to local bodies in the state.
