Jammu, Feb 21: Former bureaucrat Shantmanu, who was on Saturday sworn in as the State Election Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir for a five-year term, underscored the importance of holding the long-pending panchayat and urban local body elections in the Union Territory.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to the retired IAS officer at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan here.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his cabinet colleagues, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather. Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat were also present.
Talking to reporters, Shantmanu said it was a matter of “great happiness and pride” to take over the responsibility.
Referring to the pending panchayat and urban local body elections, he said, “These elections are vital pillars of our democratic framework, particularly in strengthening decentralised governance and grassroots development. Since they have not been held for some time now, it becomes all the more important.” “I am happy to formally begin my responsibilities. I will work with full commitment to ensure effective discharge of my duties,” he said.
While the tenure of municipal councils ended in October-November 2023, the panchayats and block development councils completed their five-year term on January 9, 2024. With the tenures of district development councils ending on February 24, there will be essentially no elected local bodies functioning in Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials said local body elections could not be conducted on time due to multiple factors, including the delimitation exercise and the reservation of wards for Other Backward Classes.
Recently, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that his government was making necessary arrangements to hold these elections at the earliest, but the vacancy of the State Election Commissioner was a major hurdle.
Under the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act and relevant Municipal Acts, the State Election Commission holds the authority to prepare electoral rolls and conduct local elections.
On February 17, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor appointed Shantmanu as the new State Election Commissioner for a period of five years or till he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
Shantmanu, a 1991-batch officer of the AGMUT cadre who recently retired as additional chief secretary and financial commissioner in Jammu and Kashmir, replaced B R Sharma who completed his tenure in April 2024.