Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra said 69 candidates had been declared elected uncontested in the first phase of the municipal elections, The New Indian Express reported.
The development follows the boycotting of the polls by the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bahujan Samaj Party over concerns about the Centre’s stand on Article 35A of the Constitution, which grants special rights and privileges to the residents of the state.
A report in The Indian Express said 131 of the 187 municipal seats either have no candidates contesting or the sole candidates have been declared uncontested winners in the first two phases. The report quoted Kabra as saying that no nominations have been filed in more than half the seats in at least four municipal bodies.
In Beerwah, only 1 candidate filed his nominated for 1 seat in the 13 wards, while in Frisal municipality, no nominations have been received. Bijbehara municipality received only five nominations leaving 12 wards uncontested. In Yaripora municipality, only three candidates submitted their nomination papers leaving as many wards uncontested.
In Chadoora, eight candidates have been elected uncontested and five wards have been left blank. No elections will be held in Qazigund, Achabal, Devsar, Kulgam and Khansahib municipalities on account of single candidates or no nominations being filed.
Elections to municipal bodies will be held in four phases between October 8 and October 16, and the panchayat elections will be held in nine phases between November 17 and December 11.
On Saturday, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party said the parties boycotting the local body elections in the state should be derecognised and their symbols withdrawn.
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