Srinagar, Aug 9: Jammu and Kashmir’s government is mulling deferring its decision of introducing property tax in the Union Territory post-holding of Urban Local Bodies elections which are tentatively scheduled after September this year.
Election Commission has started making preparations for the ULB elections, which are expected to take place in September or October at the local level. Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will be in effect when the election scheduled is to be announced.
A senior government source stated, “It is highly unlikely that property tax will be imposed in J&K before September as there are scheduled ULB elections and political parties, including BJP, have stated that the decision to impose property tax should be left to the elected government.”
J&K Chief Electoral Officer ordered a special revision of electoral rolls for Srinagar and Jammu Municipal Corporations.
The move is seen as the first step towards holding Urban Local Body polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the order, the draft electoral rolls were unveiled on August 1, while the final electoral rolls would be published on August 25.
The opposition parties have begun preparing for the next other elections in the midst of the uncertainties surrounding the first Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Political parties have started campaigning for Lok Sabha, Panchayat, and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections rather than coming up with a plan for Jammu and Kashmir’s first-ever assembly elections.
Congress, National Conference, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the three largest opposition parties in the UT, have instructed their staff to begin preparing for the local body elections rather than squandering time on the Assembly elections.
Jammu Municipal Corporation’s tenure ends on November 14, whereas Srinagar Municipal Corporation’s will on November 5, 2023. In October or November of this year, the five-year terms of local councils and committees would likewise expire. In J&K, the latest elections for urban local bodies were held in October 2018 while the governor was in power. A danger to J&K’s unique status was the reason the NC and PDP had boycotted the ULB elections.
