Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the government is taking necessary steps for holding Municipal and Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir but did not give any specific timeline for the exercise.
At the same time, the Chief Minister pointed out that the post of State Election Commissioner (SEC) is currently vacant and that the report submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission on reservation of seats is under examination.
Omar shared the details in the Legislative Assembly while replying to a written question by PCC(I) chief and MLA Tariq Hameed Karra.
He informed the House that the terms of Municipal bodies ended between October and November 2023, while Panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) completed their tenure on January 9, 2024. The District Development Councils (DDCs) are scheduled to complete their term on February 24, 2026. With the expiry of the DDCs’ tenure, all three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Jammu and Kashmir will cease to exist.
The Chief Minister said the post of the State Election Commissioner, responsible for conducting elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies, has been lying vacant since April 2025. He added that the OBC Commission had submitted its report to the government in February 2025, which is presently under examination.
“The superintendence, direction and control of preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of elections under the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, J&K Municipal Act and J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000, rests with the State Election Commissioner,” Omar said, reiterating that the position is vacant at present.
He said further steps would be taken after examination and approval of the OBC Commission’s report.
Omar also informed the House that the tenure of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation ended on November 5, 2023, while the Jammu Municipal Corporation’s term ended on November 14 the same year. The terms of all Municipal Councils and Committees expired between October and November 2023, he added.
On delimitation, the Chief Minister said Panchayat Halqas were delimited ahead of the 2018 Panchayat elections on the basis of the 2011 census. “As per the Panchayati Raj Act, fresh delimitation can be undertaken only after the publication of population figures of a general census. Since no census has been conducted after 2011, there is no proposal for fresh delimitation at present,” he said.
He added that delimitation of 77 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) has been taken up as per directions of the Housing and Urban Development Department. The process has been completed for 72 ULBs and is underway for the remaining five.
On reservation, Omar said the rotation of Sarpanch and Panch wards will be carried out by the Rural Development Department, while reservation of Municipal wards will be undertaken by the SEC after approval and notification of the OBC Commission report.
He said electoral rolls for Panchayat elections have already been revised with January 1, 2025, as the qualifying date, while revision of municipal electoral rolls will be taken up after completion of delimitation and further directions from the government.
The Chief Minister also informed that the tender process for procurement of election material for Panchayat polls has been completed, while the process is underway for DDC elections. He said 30,000 ballot boxes have been procured and distributed to districts, and an MoU has been signed with the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission for providing 7,000 multi-post electronic voting machines for ULB elections.
Highlighting reforms in the Panchayati Raj system, Omar said the Union Territory has operationalised a three-tier structure, with elections conducted for 4,291 Sarpanchs and 33,597 Panchs, besides the constitution of BDCs and DDCs.
He added that the government has constructed 600 Panchayat Bhawans with internet connectivity and trained over 7.25 lakh participants in governance, planning and financial management between 2022 and 2025. Amendments to laws have ensured reservation for women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
Omar further said digital platforms such as eGramSwaraj and initiatives like the SVAMITVA scheme have been introduced to enhance transparency, accountability and provide records of rights to rural households. (Agencies)
