Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 13: Although the date for the oath-taking ceremony of the new council of ministers is yet to be finalized, a new controversy has erupted as some organizations of Gujjars and Bakerwals have termed elections on nine seats reserved for Scheduled Tribe as illegal, and violation of the constitution.
Gujjar and Bakerwal organizations have asked Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to halt the oath of nine MLAs elected from the seats reserved for STs across Jammu and Kashmir.
The Gujjar community is up in arms over the Election Commission of India’s decision to allow Pahari-speaking tribe members to contest elections on Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved seats. Mohammad Anwar Choudhary, chairman of the All Jammu and Kashmir Gujjar-Bakerwal Co-ordination Committee, claims this move violates constitutional provisions.
Nine constituencies - Surankote, Mendhar, Budhal, Thanamandi, Rajouri, Gulabgarh, Kangan, Kokarnag, and Gurez - were reserved for ST individuals declared in 1991, b A new controversy has erupted as some organizations of Gujjars and Bakerwals have termed elections on nine seats reserved for Scheduled Tribe as illegal, and violation of the constitution.
Gujjar community is opposing the ECI's decision to allow Pahari-speaking tribe members to contest elections on Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved seats. They are claiming that move violates constitutional provisions.
The Gujjar community has submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, urging him not to notify or administer oaths to elected members from these constituencies.
They demand scrutiny of the election records and may approach the High Court and Supreme Court if their grievances aren't addressed.
Gujjar leaders argue that since there’s been no census since 2011, new ST individuals shouldn’t contest elections on reserved seats. They assert the Chief Electoral Officer and District Election Officers erred in accepting nomination papers from ineligible candidates.
The Gujjar community has submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, urging him not to notify or administer oaths to elected members from these constituencies. They demand scrutiny of the election records and may approach the High Court and Supreme Court if their grievances aren’t addressed.
Gujjar leaders demand the stopping of the oath administration to elected members from disputed constituencies. They also demanded that election records should be scrutinized to identify constitutional blunders. They also asked the government to prevent violations of constitutional provisions and basic laws. | 