MLAs from all parties don’t want polls: NC’s DDC head
SEC not in place for about eight months now
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 9: The District Development Council (DDC) Chairpersons including those affiliated with the BJP, ruling National Conference and an Independent have called for timely elections to the Councils; the last remaining Panchayati Raj Institution in Jammu and Kashmir among the three but such a possibility seems to have been ruled out.
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Sources told the Excelsior that six DDC Chairpersons from the BJP have favoured timely elections to the DDCs and pending polls to the Panchayats and Municipalities followed by the Block Development Councils (BDCs), which haven’t been held for last two years. But there are no chances of timely polls to the DDCs which will complete their term on February 24, 2026 i.e. in next two and half months from now as no pre-poll exercise has been undertaken. Even post of the State Election Commissioner (SEC), who has to conduct elections to all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), is vacant for past about eight months.
DDC Jammu Chairperson and BJP leader Bharat Bushan told the Excelsior that they strongly stand for timely elections to the PRIs including the DDCs as this was for the first time in 2021 that all three tiers of Panchayats were elected in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We stand for timely elections to the DDCs. We have said this earlier also and we are repeating it again. We have taken up the issue at various forums including the top levels seeking elections to Panchayats, Municipalities and DDCs,’’ Bushan said.
Naseem Liaquat, DDC Rajouri Chairperson, who belongs to the National Conference, said the elections to the DDCs should be held without any delay as two tiers of PRIs are already on hold. In fact, he said, polls to all three tiers should be held simultaneously as per the PRI Act.
However, Liaquat, said the MLAs irrespective of their party affiliations, don’t want decentralization of powers but their will shouldn’t prevails and the Government should go ahead with the DDC elections to keep grassroots democracy intact. Already elections were held after long time to first two tiers and first time to third tier and now there shouldn’t be any fresh gap. He demanded that the SEC should be appointed immediately.
BJP is in power in six DDCs in the Jammu region including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur and Doda districts. Ruling National Conference holds three Councils—Kishtwar, Ramban and Rajouri while Independent Tazeem Akhter heads Poonch DDC.
Tazeem Akhter said she too stands for timely elections to the DDCs.
“Elections should be held to the DDCs. All three tiers of PRIs should be in place,’’ she added.
Dr Shamshad Shan, DDC Chairperson from Ramban, who belongs to the ruling National Conference, is of the view that the elections should be held first to the Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) followed by the DDCs.
“We will also take up issue with the Government,’’ Dr Shan said, adding when there were no elected representatives, the institution of DDC served as platform for the people to address their issues. She said whatever they could do within the resources; they have done for the people.
However, DDC Kishtwar chairperson, Pooja Thakur, who too is a prominent NC leader, opined that elections shouldn’t be held to the DDCs as they were not allowed to work as per the PRI rule book by the administration as well as the MLAs.
“The purpose for which this institution was established couldn’t be fulfilled due to repeated interference by the administration. If such a process has to be repeated, I personally feel the elections shouldn’t be held to the DDCs. However, if the institution has to run as per the PRI rule book, then the elections are welcome,’’ Thakur said.
Alleging that the district administration never calls her for consultations or inaugurations though they are above the MLAs in protocol, Thakur said during last five years she was not allowed to do even a single inauguration by the administration under pressure of a BJP leader, now an MLA.
Officials said the DDCs were constituted on February 25, 2021 and they will complete their five-year term on February 24, 2026. Elections to the DDCs were possible before December 20 as extreme chill grips several parts of Jammu and Kashmir after this and extends till March leaving no scope for the polls.
Moreover, post of the SEC, the authority for conducting elections to DDCs, Municipalities, Panchayats and BDCs, is vacant since April 16 this year. The UT Government passed a bill in Assembly session held in October this year extending upper age limit for appointment of the SEC. However, the appointment hasn’t been made so far.
There are 20 DDCs in the UT-10 each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions-which were constituted for first time in the history in February 2021 after elections to them were held in November- December 2020. Each DDC has 14 members with 33 percent reservation for women and quota for SCs and STs as well. Posts of the Chairpersons were also reserved.
Terms of the Panchayats ended on January 9, 2024 in Jammu and Kashmir. Term of the Block Development Councils also ended the same day as it was co-terminus with the Panchayats. The Municipalities completed their five-year term in November-December 2023. Now, the DDCs are the only institution among three tiers of the Panchayati Raj which is surviving and is due to expire in next two and half months.
Elections to the Municipalities were held in October-November 2018 followed by the Panchayats in November-December the same year. While the Panchayat polls were held after nearly four decades, the Municipal elections took place after 13 years.
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