Five Year Term of DDC Ends on Feb 24: Govt

Move sets stage for next electoral exercise in UT

By Online Editor Published on Jan 27, 2026

Suhail Khan

Srinagar, Jan 27: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has formally communicated that the five-year term of the first-ever elected District Development Councils (DDCs) will conclude on February 24, 2026, an order that is likely to trigger political discussion in the Union Territory.
An official communication, issued by Under Secretary Vilender Kumar Bhat and accessed by Kashmir Convener, states that the DDCs will “cease to exist” on that date. The order, sent to all District Deputy Commissioners, cites a legal opinion from the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
The opinion, referring to the J&K Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, states that the councils’ term is deemed to have commenced on February 25, 2021 — the date of the notification constituting the DDCs following the landmark elections held in November-December 2020.
“You are requested to inform the respective Chairperson and members of the District Development Council in your district about the completion of the term,’’ the order reads.
The DDC polls, held months after the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two UTs, were projected as a major decentralisation initiative. The elections saw a direct contest between the BJP and the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a coalition of regional parties including the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party.
While the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats, the PAGD secured a combined 110 of the 280 seats across 20 districts. The term of these grassroots bodies has been a subject of political and administrative discourse, with some representatives previously raising questions over the timeline.With the official clarification now issued, the administrative machinery is expected to begin preparatory work for the next DDC elections in due course. Official sources indicated that the process would be initiated by the relevant authorities under the provisions of the J&K Panchayati Raj Act.
The setting of the term’s end date brings certainty to the electoral calendar for the three-tier Panchayati Raj system in J&K, even as political parties gear up for the next round of grassroots democratic exercises.