What Happened
- The five-year term of Jammu and Kashmir's District Development Councils (DDCs) expired on February 24, 2026, leaving the Union Territory without any functioning elected body at the grassroots level.
- All three tiers of Panchayati Raj in J&K — Panchayats (Tier 1), Block Development Councils (Tier 2), and DDCs (Tier 3) — are now defunct, their terms having elapsed without fresh elections.
- The DDCs, constituted in February 2021, were the first elected district-level bodies in J&K following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the territory's reorganization.
- With J&K now having a Legislative Assembly (the first elections were held in October 2024, restoring statehood-like governance), the constitutional justification for not holding DDC elections has shifted — previously no Legislative Assembly existed; now one does but local body elections are still pending.
- The absence of all elected grassroots bodies in J&K stands in contrast to the constitutional mandate of Part IX and Part IX-A on Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies.
Static Topic Bridges
Panchayati Raj and the 73rd Constitutional Amendment
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 inserted Part IX (Articles 243 to 243O) into the Constitution, providing constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The amendment mandates the establishment of a three-tier Panchayati Raj structure at the village, intermediate, and district levels in states with populations above 20 lakh.
- Article 243B: Every state shall constitute Panchayats at village, intermediate, and district levels.
- Article 243C: Composition of Panchayats, with reservation for SC/ST and women (not less than one-third of total seats).
- Article 243E: Duration of Panchayats — five years from the date of first meeting; elections must be held before expiry of term.
- Article 243F: Disqualifications for membership.
- Article 243G: Powers, authority, and responsibilities of Panchayats — 11th Schedule lists 29 subjects that may be devolved (agriculture, land improvement, rural housing, drinking water, social forestry, education, etc.).
- The 73rd Amendment does not automatically apply to Union Territories. Its extension to UTs requires a separate parliamentary enactment or Presidential Order.
Connection to this news: The constitutional requirement under Article 243E that Panchayat elections be held before term expiry was not met in J&K — the consequence is a complete vacuum of elected representation at the sub-district and district levels, directly undermining the constitutional vision of a three-tier democratic structure.
District Development Councils: Post-Article 370 Governance Architecture
The District Development Councils (DDCs) were created through the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2020 as a new third tier of local governance in J&K following its reorganization from a state into a Union Territory (with legislature) on October 31, 2019.
- DDC elections were held in November-December 2020 — the first elections conducted in J&K after the Article 370 abrogation.
- Each DDC consists of 14 elected members (one per constituency in a district); with 20 districts in J&K, total DDC elected strength was 280.
- In the DDC elections, the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) won 110 seats; BJP won 75 seats.
- DDCs were given legislative and executive functions over district-level development planning, including approval of development plans and MGNREGS implementation.
- DDC Chairpersons were accorded Cabinet Minister-level protocol.
- The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (under which J&K became a UT) extended the Representation of People Act, 1950 and 1951 to J&K.
Connection to this news: The DDCs were explicitly designed as a "grassroots democracy" showcase after Article 370 abrogation. Their expiration without renewal creates both a governance deficit and a political optics problem — the elected layer closest to the people is now absent in a region with active security concerns.
Article 370 Abrogation and J&K's Constitutional Status
Article 370 of the Constitution conferred special autonomous status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, allowing it to have its own Constitution, flag, and limited sovereignty except in matters of defence, foreign affairs, finance, and communications. On August 5, 2019, the President issued a Constitutional Order under Article 370(1) extending the entire Constitution to J&K, effectively abrogating the special status.
- The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 bifurcated J&K into two UTs: (i) J&K UT (with legislature) and (ii) Ladakh (without legislature).
- The Supreme Court upheld the abrogation unanimously in December 2023 (DR Farooq Abdullah v. Union of India), terming Article 370 a "temporary provision."
- SC directed elections to the J&K Legislative Assembly to be held by September 30, 2024; elections were completed in October 2024.
- J&K became the first and only UT with a Legislative Assembly (besides Delhi and Puducherry), with the UT continuing under Lieutenant Governor-led administration despite an elected government.
- The constitutional provisions on local self-governance (Part IX) were extended to J&K through the J&K Reorganisation Act.
Connection to this news: The expiry of DDC terms without fresh elections represents a governance irony — J&K now has a functioning Legislative Assembly (restored after the Article 370 abrogation disruption) but lacks the foundational grassroots layer that the 73rd Amendment envisions as the bedrock of democratic governance.
Grassroots Democracy and Internal Security
Academic and policy literature consistently links the absence of responsive grassroots institutions to heightened security risks in conflict-affected areas. Local grievances — over land, water, development inequity — are more effectively addressed through elected local bodies than through administrative channels, reducing the space for non-state actors to exploit discontent.
- The Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the Constitution provide special governance arrangements for tribal areas; J&K's governance arrangements were entirely statutory (through J&K Panchayati Raj Act), not Schedule-based.
- MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005) social audit and implementation at the gram sabha level is constitutionally strengthened by an active Panchayati Raj structure.
- J&K Security Situation: The region continues to witness security incidents; elected local bodies provide a democratic channel that reduces alienation.
- Without elected Panchayats, development funds are disbursed through bureaucratic channels, reducing accountability and community ownership.
Connection to this news: The simultaneous collapse of all three Panchayati Raj tiers in J&K is not merely an administrative gap — it has direct implications for development delivery, community grievance redressal, and the "normalization" narrative that forms the political backdrop to post-Article 370 policy in J&K.
Key Facts & Data
- DDC term: February 25, 2021 – February 24, 2026 (exactly five years).
- Total DDC constituencies: 280 (14 per district × 20 districts).
- First DDC election results: PAGD — 110 seats; BJP — 75 seats.
- J&K Legislative Assembly elections: October 2024 (first after Article 370 abrogation).
- J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019: bifurcated J&K into J&K UT (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature), effective October 31, 2019.
- 73rd Amendment (1992): Article 243B mandates three-tier Panchayati Raj.
- Article 243E: Mandates elections before expiry of five-year Panchayat term.