By Jehangir Ali
New Delhi: With the term of Panchayats coming to an end, Jammu and Kashmir woke up on Wednesday, January 10, without the remnants of its elected representatives, deepening the political crisis in the border region which has been without popular government for more than five years.
The term of 4,892 Panchayats ended on January 9, handing the effective control of the Union territory’s rural areas to the bureaucracy. It also marked the end of 316 Block Development Councils, the second of the three-tiers of the Panchayat Raj which was touted to “strengthen grassroots democracy” in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the District Development Councils, the third tier of Panchayat Raj institutions which were introduced in J&K in October 2020, after the reading down of Article 370, will continue to function.
Urging the government to extend the term of the Panchayats till fresh elections are held, All Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) President, Anil Sharma, said that the government should respect the democratic aspirations of the people and announce the dates for holding Panchayat elections in J&K.
“J&K is without an elected government for more than five years. There are no urban local bodies either and with the expiry of the Panchayats’ term, the last remaining institutions of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir have become vacant. The government should not deprive people of the right to choose their representative and announce the date for elections at the earliest,” Sharma told The Wire.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here .