OBC Quota Logjam Keeps J&K Panchayat Polls on Hold
J&K's panchayat elections remain stalled as the government sits on an OBC Commission report, leaving rural local bodies without elected representatives.
Jammu and Kashmir is unlikely to see panchayat elections any time soon, with the government yet to decide on reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in grassroots institutions. The delay has left the Union Territory without any elected local body, as all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj system have ceased to exist.
The erstwhile panchayats and Block Development Councils completed their terms on January 9, 2024. Municipalities had lapsed earlier, in October-November 2023, while the District Development Councils' term ended on February 24, 2026.
Until 2019, panchayat polls in the region were held under the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, which did not provide for an OBC quota. After J&K became a Union Territory, the rules requiring OBC reservation in local bodies became applicable to it as well. A three-member OBC Commission headed by former high court judge Janak Raj Kotwal submitted its report to the government in February last year, but no decision has been taken on it so far.
"Without OBC reservation, which, according to the Panchayati Raj Act, has to be in proportion to the population in every Panchayat, we cannot hold elections to the rural local bodies," an official in the State Election Commission said.
Under the Act, the government finalises poll dates in consultation with the SEC. The commission has repeatedly told the government that all preparatory exercises for rural local body elections are complete, and has sought one to two months' notice before the dates are announced.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmed Dar said the panchayat elections will certainly be held, but at an appropriate time. He confirmed that the OBC Commission's report has been received and will be placed before the Cabinet for consideration, after which delimitation and reservation of panchayat constituencies will follow, paving the way for polls.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said last month that local body elections will be held at "an appropriate time".
A senior official said the SEC told Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo at an August meeting that if the government wanted elections this year, it should convey its decision by September, since polling must be completed before the harsh winter. The SEC needs at least six to eight weeks for last-minute preparations, including finalising polling booths and procuring poll material. The panchayats have their own well-maintained electoral rolls, which would need a summary revision before elections in November, the official said.
Municipal elections face a separate hurdle. Officials said urban body polls are held on the basis of electoral rolls of legislative assembly constituencies, which have not been updated. These will be revised only after a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is conducted, meaning the SEC cannot hold urban local body elections even if the OBC reservation issue is resolved.