Jammu, Sep 2: The Jammu and Kashmir Government hasn’t responded to the State Election Commission (SEC) for initiating the process for Panchayat and District Development Council (DDC) elections before August 31 if the polls are to be held this year.
This means that the local bodies will remain without elected representatives at least for next six to seven months as the elections can only be held at the earliest in April-May.
In early part of August, State Election Commissioner Shantmanu had briefed the Government that a decision to set the process in motion for Panchayat and DDC elections has to be taken before August-end if these polls are to be conducted this year i.e. in October-November after which upper reaches of the Union Territory start receiving snowfall and the electoral exercise almost becomes impossible.
However, official sources told the Excelsior that the Government hasn’t responded to the SEC with the month of August ending yesterday.
“It has been mentioned in the Act that the Government in consultations with the SEC will take a decision on the local body elections,” they pointed out.
SEC Shantmanu said the Commission requires at least 30-45 days for procurement of election materials but this can be done only after the Government takes a decision on OBC Commission report granting reservation to the OBCs in the Local Bodies.
“We need at least 30-45 days for carrying out the entire exercise,” Shantmanu said.
Sources, however, said that the SEC officials even today got in touch with the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department seeking to know whether there was any direction on conduct of the elections but came to know that there was no message.
The Commission will, however, continue to engage with the Government though it has made it clear that the Panchayat and DDC elections, which were proposed to be held in the first phase followed by Municipalities and Block Development Councils (BDCs), can’t be held now this year, the sources said.
The Commission has to undertake Special Summary Revision with October 1 as cut-off date for enrollment of new voters who attained the age of 18 over last six months, then reserve seats for OBCs and rotate the seats reserved for women, SCs, STs and OBCs, make procurements like ballot boxes etc if the elections are to be conducted.
It may be mentioned here that the SEC had twice written to the Government to take decision on the report submitted by the OBC Commission headed by Justice (Retd) Janak Raj Kotwal in February 2025. Any further exercise by the Government depends on implementation of the report as it will determine percentage of reservation to be given to the OBCs in Local Body elections. The Commission’s report is pending before the Government for last one and a half year now.
The SEC had geared itself up over last two-three months to hold Panchayat and DDC elections together as both involved the rural areas followed by the Municipal polls which are held in the urban areas. There is a provision of indirect election to the BDCs whose chairpersons are elected by the Panchayat members and they can be held only when the Panchayats are in place.
The Panchayats ceased to exist in Jammu and Kashmir on January 9, 2024 and the UT is without the elected Panchayats for past over two and half years now years now.
Similar is the case with the Municipalities which completed their term in October-November 2023. Term of the Block Development Councils (BDCs) was co-terminus with the Panchayats and their tenure also ended on January 9, 2024.
Tenure of the District Development Councils (DDCs) ended on February 24, 2026.
Now, the Jammu and Kashmir is without the elected Local Bodies with all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) non-existent.—(Daily Excelsior)
