Panchayat, ULB polls nowhere in sight

Srinagar, Sep 13: The National Conference (NC)-led government is unlikely to conduct local body elections in the near future, as it has yet to take a call on the recommendations of a commission appointed by the LG-led administration regarding reservation for Other Backward Classes and the appointment of the State Election Commissioner.
Based on current indications, the government appears averse to conducting Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies elections in the remaining months of 2025. “There are no chances of holding Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies polls this year. As of now, we have not received any such indication from the government,” a legislator from the ruling National Conference said.
Holding of Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls falls under the domain of the elected government.
The last local body elections were held during Governor’s rule in 2018, and the term of those bodies has since expired.
The first indication that the government has no plan to hold local body elections comes from its ‘inaction’ over the recommendations submitted by a three-member panel headed by former High Court Judge Justice Janak Raj Kotwal.
“The cabinet is yet to take a call on the report. It has to decide whether to adopt or reject it,” sources within the government disclosed.
Secondly, the government has not taken any visible steps toward appointing the State Election Commissioner, the authority responsible for conducting the polls, after former IAS officer B.R. Sharma completed his term.
The SEC is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of a committee comprising the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
Thirdly, the process of revising electoral rolls could not be undertaken due to the absence of a State Election Commissioner, who holds the authority to order such revisions.
According to a former Block Development Council chairman, the delay in holding Panchayat elections is causing financial losses, as some components of funding by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj are contingent upon the existence of Panchayati Raj Institutions. “The government should hold elections so that we don’t lose crores of rupees annually. The implementation of plans at Panchayat level have also been affected to some extent due to non-existence of PRIs,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that the Union Government is keen on reviving grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir
A report tabled in Parliament recently revealed that the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj had issued an advisory to Jammu & Kashmir in December 2024, urging steps to hold Panchayat elections.
In its report tabled in both Houses of Parliament on July 28, 2025, the department-related Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj stated that the ministry had advised various states, including J&K and Ladakh, to initiate the process for conducting Panchayat elections. (KNO)