SRINAGAR: The fate of Jammu and Kashmir’s District Development Councils (DDCs), the only surviving tier of the Panchayati Raj system, has been thrown into uncertainty with their term set to expire in mid-January 2026, even as the State Election Commission (SEC) has remained defunct for the past four and a half months.
The 20 DDCs – 10 each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions – were constituted for the first time in January 2021 after elections were held in November and December 2020. Each council comprises 14 members, with 33 per cent reservation for women, along with quotas for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Chairperson posts were also reserved.
However, preparations for fresh polls have not begun. The SEC, mandated to conduct elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and municipalities, has been without a commissioner since April 26. Though some staff remains, sources said that no electoral exercise can move forward without the appointment of a new SEC head.
Compounding the uncertainty, the Rural Development Department (RDD) is yet to begin the process of rotating reserved seats, a prerequisite before elections can be held. Even if a fresh delimitation of constituencies is not undertaken, officials said, the mandatory rotation of reserved categories must take place.
In 2020, the SEC issued a notification for DDC elections on November 4, followed by an eight-phase polling between November 28 and December 19. Results were declared on December 22, and councils were formally constituted in January and February 2021. But with winter approaching, officials admit that elections cannot be held between late December and February due to heavy snowfall in the Valley’s upper reaches, further tightening the timeline.
“If the previous schedule is taken as reference, only two months are left to complete essential steps like publishing electoral rolls, finalising rotation of reservation, and carrying out delimitation if required. Yet, no such exercise is visible,” sources said. Senior government officers were unavailable for comment.
The Panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) completed their terms on January 9, 2024, while the Municipalities’ five-year term ended in November-December 2023. The expiry of DDCs early next year will leave Jammu and Kashmir without any elected grassroots governance body.
Elections to the Municipalities were last held in October-November 2018, followed by Panchayat polls a month later. Those elections were historic, with Panchayat polls conducted after nearly four decades and Municipal elections after 13 years.
Currently, six of the 10 DDCs in the Jammu division – Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, and Doda – are chaired by the BJP, while the National Conference holds three (Kishtwar, Ramban, and Rajouri). Poonch is led by an Independent chairperson.
