With the Centre showing no urgency on restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the Omar Abdullah-led government has signaled its reluctance to hold pending local body elections before statehood is reinstated.

Sources in the National Conference (NC) government argue that elections to panchayats and District Development Councils (DDCs) would be futile while J&K remains a Union Territory. Panchayat polls have been overdue since January 2024, and the DDCs are nearing the end of their five-year term.

“There is a multi-layered command structure in the Union Territory, with decision-making centralized in Delhi. Until statehood is restored, elections to panchayats and DDCs will lack real impact,” a senior government source said. The source also pointed out that the DDCs set up by the Centre after the abrogation of Article 370 have struggled to make meaningful progress, hindered by governance challenges and security issues.

At the Centre, officials said that panchayat elections were initially delayed to prioritize Assembly polls and that the government is awaiting a report on OBC reservations in local bodies. However, an official emphasized, “The Centre is committed to grassroots democracy. Elections to panchayats and other local bodies remain a key priority.”

In November, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha reiterated the administration’s focus on strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies during his address to the J&K Assembly. He pledged to ensure people’s active participation in governance by conducting elections at all levels.

Under the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, the “government” is responsible for notifying local body elections in consultation with the Election Authority. However, ambiguity persists over the division of powers between the state government and Raj Bhavan due to the Centre’s delay in clearing the business rules.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah often highlights the Modi government’s role in bringing democracy to J&K, particularly through the panchayat elections of 2019 and the DDC elections in 2020, which introduced over 35,000 grassroots representatives. Shah has also accused Kashmir’s “dynastic families” of stifling democracy and resisting such elections in the past.

While the DDCs were intended to fill the political vacuum after Article 370’s abrogation, both the panchayats and DDCs are seen as underperforming. Experts cite limited autonomy and inadequate resources as key issues.

Omar Abdullah has consistently pressed for the restoration of statehood. His government passed a Cabinet resolution to this effect and submitted formal representations to PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He also raised the demand during the inauguration of the Sonamarg tunnel, attended by the Prime Minister.

In response, Modi reiterated the Centre’s stance, saying that statehood would be restored “at an appropriate time,” leaving the timeline uncertain and fueling further debate on J&K’s political future.