The five-year tenure of the first-ever District Development Councils (DDCs) in Jammu and Kashmir formally ended on Tuesday, leaving the Union Territory without any elected representation across its three-tier Panchayati Raj system and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
The tenures of Urban Local Bodies, Panchayats, and Block Development Councils had already expired last year, and with the conclusion of the DDCs’ term, their powers have now been delegated to the bureaucracy.
The DDC elections were conducted for the first time in November–December 2020, completing the three-tier grassroots democratic structure in the Union Territory after the reorganisation of the erstwhile state in 2019. The councils were formally constituted through a government notification issued on February 25, 2021, and their term concluded on February 24, 2026.
In the maiden DDC polls, the erstwhile People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) secured 110 of the 280 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party with 74 seats and the highest overall vote share across Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP was in power in six DDCs, while the ruling National Conference headed three councils. An Independent chaired the Poonch DDC. The BJP governed the DDCs in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, and Doda districts, whereas the National Conference led the councils in Rajouri, Kishtwar, and Ramban.
The post of State Election Commissioner (SEC), responsible for conducting elections to the DDCs, municipalities, Panchayats, and BDCs, had remained vacant for over 10 months. However, retired IAS officer Shantmanu was recently appointed as the new SEC and took oath a few days ago.
After the Central Government granted reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), a commission headed by Justice (Retd) Janak Raj Kotwal was constituted to determine the percentage of reservation for OBCs in Panchayats, municipalities, BDCs, and DDCs. The commission submitted its report on February 27, 2025, but the government has yet to take a decision on its recommendations.
The expiry of the DDCs’ term means that no elected local bodies are currently functioning in the Union Territory. The tenure of municipal bodies ended in October–November 2023, while Panchayats and Block Development Councils completed their five-year term on January 9, 2024.
Officials said fresh elections to the DDCs could not be held within the stipulated timeframe due to multiple factors, including the delimitation exercise and the process of reserving wards for OBCs.
In a recent communication, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj stated that, as per the opinion of the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and in accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, the five-year term of the DDCs commenced from the date of issuance of the notification constituting the councils.
Last year, the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission, constituted on June 11, 2023, to conduct an empirical study on OBC representation in local bodies, submitted its final recommendations to the government on February 27, paving the way for the implementation of reservation norms ahead of fresh elections.
The DDCs form the crucial third tier of grassroots governance in Jammu and Kashmir and were seen as a significant step towards strengthening local democracy in the Union Territory.
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