Dim Hopes Of Civic Body Elections In Jammu and Kashmir Amid Electoral Revision For Panchayats

Jammu and Kashmir civic polls remain uncertain despite updated electoral rolls, with delays tied to OBC reservation recommendations and administrative hurdles.

Srinagar:The long-overdue civic body elections in Jammu and Kashmir are unlikely to take place soon, even after the completion of the final electoral rolls for the Panchayats.

On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission announced the conclusion of its electoral revision process, starting in November 2024. The updated rolls show a total of more than seven million voters, with the addition of 3,41,072 new voters and the removal of 1,10,768. The final figures include 35,66,475 men, 34,34,048 women, and 147 individuals identifying as third gender.

J&K state election commissioner Braj Raj Sharma told ETV Bharat that the elections cannot proceed until the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Commission submits its recommendations.

The commission, formed in June last year, is tasked with determining the percentage of reservations for OBCs in local bodies. The panel is led by a retired judge, Janak Raj Kotwal and includes a former IAS officer Raj Kumar Bhagat, and a former dean of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Jammu, Mohinder Singh.

Local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir reserve 33 percent of seats for women, and reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes proportional to their populations.

However, the region has been without functioning panchayats since their terms expired in late 2023 and early 2024. In their absence, the government appointed officials from the Rural Development Department to oversee development works across the region’s over 4,000 Panchayats.

Many, like Shafiq Mir, chairman of the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference, believe the lack of elected representatives has eroded the accountability of the grassroots democratic institution. “Public representation in development works has ended and Block Development Officers are spending money as they please,” he added.

The government is expected to extend the powers to Block Development Officers (BDOs) for another three months, dimming hopes of elections anytime soon.

Mir urged the central government to take charge of the situation and conduct the elections as he says the Union Territory Government is currently battling for its own “empowerment”.

The National Conference-led government has been vying for the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government for effective governance and exclusive domain over regional affairs. Currently, the powers are divided between the Lieutenant Governor’s office–Raj Bhawan–and the elected government.

“We don’t know who is responsible for deciding on the elections — the lieutenant governor or the elected government,” Mir said. “If the Rural Development Department falling under the J&K government, holds the powers, it should not hesitate to conduct the polls.”