Ahead Of BDC polls, Govt Begins Release Of Politicians

Ahead of crucial Block Development Council (BDC) election in Jammu and Kashmir, the Governor led administration has begun the process of releasing political leaders from preventive custody, who was been detained hours before the Government of India announced abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. The process begun last week after several leaders of the Jammu division were released from their house detention, in which prominent leaders were National Conference (NC) Provisional President Devinder Singh Rana, Surjit Singh Salathia, Javed Rana, and Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo. The Congress party’s senior leaders including Raman Bhalla and WaqarRasool were also released. And Harsh Dev Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party was also released. These leaders were released days after J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Shalindra Kumar announced to conduct the Block Development Council (BDC) polls – the second tier of panchayat elections in the state on 24th of October. Kumar made this announcement in a press conference after the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj issued an order SRO 522 dated 03-09-2019, notifying the Block Development Councils along with their constituent panchayathalqas. Similarly, the Governor administration has released Peoples Conference leader and former minister Imran Raza Ansari, Abid Ansari and National Conference leader Syed Akhoon on health grounds, while as, senior PDP leader Khursheed Alam was released after the demise of one of his close relatives. The government also released YawarDilawar Mir former MLA Rafiabad- Baramulla, Noor Mohammed from Batamallo and ShoaibNabi Lone, who contested from north Kashmir on Congress ticket and later resigned from the party on Thursday. A senior government official privy to the development said the government has eased the process of releasing the detained politicians keeping in view the BDC polls.