Current year’s budget to be fully utilized by Councils
No process initiated yet for electoral exercise
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 4: With timely elections to the District Development Councils (DDCs), which are due to complete their five-year term in next three months, ruled out, the development works being incurred through the DDC members are likely to be executed via the MLAs from next financial year of 2026-27 till the new bodies are elected.
However, the DDCs will fully utilize current financial year’s Capex budget though they will complete their term in January-February next year i.e. nearly one and a half months before the completion of 2025-26 financial year, official sources told the Excelsior.
Confirming that an exercise to conduct elections to 20 DDCs in Jammu and Kashmir hasn’t been initiated so far in the absence of State Election Commissioner (SEC), whose post remained vacant since April this year, sources said in the next one month, most parts of the Union Territory will go snow-bound and there will be no possibility of undertaking any kind of electoral exercise till April next.
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In 2020, the DDC elections were held from November 28 to December 19 in eight phases and counting was completed on December 22. The notification was issued on November 4. This possibility is now ruled out and beyond that the election process is not possible, the sources said, adding that any electoral exercise in the UT can now be initiated in April next after completion of budget session of the Assembly when the weather opens up.
As per the officials, in absence of the DDC members in April with the beginning of next financial year of 2026-27, the powers of DDCs to execute developmental works through Capex are likely to be used by the MLAs, as they will be the only elected representatives left then, as term of Panchayats, Municipalities and Block Development Councils (BDCs), expired nearly two years back.
“Every DDC was getting around Rs 10 crore Capex budget in a financial year though some DDCs are based on three to four Assembly constituencies and others on 10 to 11,” the sources said. The DDCs cover the area which is not under purview of the Municipal limits.
Dwelling on the elections, sources said the Government in last Assembly session passed the bill enhancing maximum age limit of the SEC in the office from 65 to 70 years. When the bill is approved by the Lieutenant Governor, the Government will initiate process for appointment of the SEC, who is responsible for conduct of Panchayat, Municipalities, BDCs and DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, an exercise has also to be undertaken for rotation of reserved seats. Besides, the OBC Commission has also submitted its report recommending reservation for the OBCs in Urban and Rural bodies.
There are 20 DDCs in the UT-10 each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions-which were constituted for first time in the history in January 2021 after elections to them were held in November- December 2020. Each DDC had 14 members with 33 percent reservation for women and quota for SCs and STs as well. Posts of the Chairpersons were also reserved.
An exercise has to be undertaken by the Rural Development Department for reservation and rotation of the seats.
Terms of the Panchayats ended on January 9, 2024. 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 their term is due to expire in next few months, the sources said.
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.
Among 10 DDCs in the Jammu region, six are being ruled by the BJP including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi and Doda while ruling NC is in power in three DDCs-Kishtwar, Ramban and Rajouri. An Independent member is the chairperson of the DDC Poonch.
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