J&K govt begins process to appoint new state election commissioner

Srinagar, Sep 18: The Jammu & Kashmir government has initiated the process for appointing the State Election Commissioner (SEC), the authority responsible for overseeing Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies in the Union Territory.

To begin with, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has taken up the matter with the Chief Minister’s Office.

As per the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, the State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of a committee headed by the Chief Minister. Other members of the panel include a senior minister nominated by the Chief Minister, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Minister in charge of Panchayats, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.

The post of SEC has been vacant since April 27, 2025, when B.R. Sharma completed his tenure upon reaching the statutory retirement age of 65.

According to the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, the SEC is appointed for a term of five years or until the age of 65, whichever comes earlier.

As previously reported by KNO, Jammu & Kashmir currently lacks both Panchayats and Block Development Councils—the first two tiers of the Panchayati Raj system—as well as Urban Local Bodies.

The term of the elected District Development Councils (DDCs) will end on February 24, 2026, as their five-year tenure began on February 25, 2021, when they were constituted by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.