Jammu, Feb 09: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that the government is making all necessary arrangements to conduct elections to urban local bodies (ULBs) and panchayats in the Union Territory at the earliest. However, he noted that the post of the State Election Commissioner (SEC) is currently lying vacant.
In a written reply to a question raised by Congress MLA Tariq Hameed Karra, the Chief Minister said that the superintendence, direction and control of preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections under the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, J&K Municipal Act and J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000, rest with the State Election Commission.
“The State Election Commission is making necessary arrangements for holding panchayat and urban local bodies elections at the earliest. However, the position of the State Election Commissioner is presently vacant,” Abdullah said. He added that the report submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission, which is tasked with determining the quota of reserved seats, is under examination and further steps will be taken after due consideration.
The Chief Minister informed the House that the term of panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) expired on January 9, while the tenure of the District Development Councils (DDCs) is set to end on February 24. He also noted that the term of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation ended on November 5, 2023, followed by the Jammu Municipal Corporation on November 14, 2023. The tenure of all municipal councils and committees, he added, expired between October and November 2023.
On the issue of delimitation, Abdullah said panchayat halqas were last delimited prior to 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 the general census. Since no census has been conducted after 2011, there is no proposal for fresh delimitation at present,” he said.
He further informed that delimitation of 77 urban local bodies has been initiated as per the directions of the Housing and Urban Development Department. The process has been completed for 72 ULBs and is underway for the remaining five.
Regarding reservations, the Chief Minister said that 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 State Election Commission after approval and notification of the OBC Commission’s report.
Abdullah said the electoral rolls for panchayat elections have already been revised with January 1, 2025, as the qualifying date. Revision of municipal electoral rolls will be taken up after the completion of delimitation and issuance of necessary directions by the government.
On election preparedness, he informed the House that the tender process for procurement of election material for panchayat polls has been completed, while the process is underway for DDC elections. He added that 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 the supply of 7,000 multi-post electronic voting machines for ULB elections.
Highlighting reforms in grassroots governance, the Chief Minister said the Union Territory has operationalised a three-tier Panchayati Raj system, with elections conducted for 4,291 sarpanches and 33,597 panchs, in addition to the constitution of BDCs and DDCs.
He further said 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 relevant laws have ensured reservations for women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. He also highlighted the introduction of digital platforms such as eGramSwaraj and initiatives like the SVAMITVA scheme to enhance transparency, accountability and provide records of rights to rural households.
The Chief Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening grassroots democracy and ensuring timely elections to local bodies across Jammu and Kashmir.
