‘SEC post vacant, OBC Comm report under examination’
No proposal for fresh delimitation of Panchayats
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 9: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today didn’t give any specific timeline for conduct of Municipal and Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir but said the Government is making necessary arrangements for the electoral exercise.
At the same time, Omar pointed out that the post of State Election Commissioner (SEC) is vacant and the report submitted by Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward classes Commission for determining the quota of reserved seats is under examination.
The Chief Minister shared this information in the Legislative Assembly in response to a written question of PCC (I) chief and MLA Tariq Hameed Karra.
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The Municipalities completed their term in October-November 2023 while the Panchayats and Block Development Councils ceased to exist on January 9, 2024. The District Development Councils (DDCs) are scheduled to complete their term in next fortnight i.e. February 24, 2026.
With completion of term of the DDCs, all three Panchayati Raj Institutions will cease to exist in Jammu and Kashmir.
Post of the SEC, responsible for conduct of elections to the PRIs, is lying vacant since April 2025 while the OBC Commission submitted its report to the Government in February 2025.
“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 SEC,’’ Omar said, adding the position of State Election Commissioner is lying vacant at present.
He added that the report submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission for determining the quota of reserved seats is under examination, and further steps will be taken accordingly.
He informed the House that the term of Panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) expired on January 9, while the District Development Councils (DDCs) term will end on February 24. He said the tenure of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation ended on November 5, 2023, while the term of Jammu’s civic body also ended in the same month on November 14.
Terms of all Municipal Councils and Committees expired between October and November 2023, he added.
Omar said that Panchayat Halqas were delimited prior to the 2018 Panchayat elections on the basis of the 2011 census.
“As per the Panchayati Raj Act, fresh delimitation of Panchayat halqas can be undertaken only after publication of the 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.
The Chief Minister further said that delimitation of 77 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) has been taken up as per instructions of the Housing and Urban Development Department, adding that the process has been completed for 72 ULBs and is underway for the remaining five.
On the reservation, the CM said 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 that 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 directions from the Government.
Omar also informed that the tender process for the procurement of election material for Panchayat polls has been completed and is underway for DDC elections.
He said 30,000 ballot boxes have been purchased and distributed to districts, while 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 said the Government has undertaken construction of 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 the laws have ensured reservation for women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes, he added.
Omar further said that digital platforms such as eGramSwaraj and initiatives like the SVAMITVA scheme have been introduced to enhance transparency, accountability and provide a record of rights to rural households.
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