Jammu And Kashmir Rural Poll Rule Tweak Charge

The governor-led Jammu and Kashmir administration has run into charges that the panchayat elections have been scheduled in haste after incorporating purported changes aimed at helping the BJP. On Sunday, the government had announced elections to the Block Development Council (BDC), the second-tier of the panchayat system, on October 24. The administration had tweaked rules three weeks before the Sunday announcement, giving the government, rather than chief electoral officer Shailendra Kumar the right to decide the timing of the election.

Another important development took place on September 26, three days before the poll announcement, the sources said. The government drafted a nomination form where a candidate is required to give details of his or her party.

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