After Panchayats, BDCs & Municipalities, DDCs to Complete Term in 4 Months

JAMMU, Sept 11: The District Development Councils (DDCs), the only surviving tier among Panchayats, Block Development Councils (BDCs), and Municipalities in Jammu and Kashmir, are set to complete their term by mid-January, about four months from now. However, elections cannot proceed as the State Election Commission (SEC) has been non-functional for over four and a half months.

Background & Term Details

There are 20 DDCs in the Union Territory — 10 each in the Jammu and Kashmir divisions. These councils were first constituted in January 2021 after elections held in November-December 2020. Each DDC includes 14 members with 33% women quota and reserved seats for SCs and STs. Posts of chairpersons were also reserved.

Current Delays: SEC, Delimitation & Rotation of Seats

The State Election Commission, which is responsible for holding polls for all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj system and for Municipalities, has been without a Commissioner since April 26 — more than four and a half months. While some staff remain, the lack of a functioning SEC has stalled election preparations.

Further, even if constituency boundaries are not redrawn, reserved seats (for women, SC/ST) need to be rotated, which requires action by the Rural Development Department. But so far, there is no visible exercise for delimitation or rotation.

Voices of Concern

Several political leaders argue that having 14 DDC seats for each district is unfair, especially in populous districts like Jammu and Srinagar versus less-populated ones such as Samba, Shopian, and Ramban. They argue the number of seats should be decided based on population, voter count, and area.

Next Steps & Timeframe

If the previous notification date (November 4, 2020) is taken as point of reference, less than two months remain for essential preparatory work — publication of electoral rolls, rotation of reserved seats, and delimitation — if elections are to be held on schedule. However, there is no public sign of these preparations.

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Source: Daily Excelsior (Read original)

Labels: DDCs, Jammu & Kashmir, Elections, State Election Commission, governance

Tags: #DDCs #JammuKashmir #SEC #Elections #Governance #DailyExcelsior

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