Srinagar, Jan. 29 -- Jammu and Kashmir's three-tier panchayati raj system is headed for a collapse this February as the term of the District Development Councils (DDCs) draws to a close, with the UT administration showing no urgency to conduct fresh elections. Since the terms of panchayats and block development councils (BDCs) ended two years ago, the exit of the DDCs will leave the region without any local elected grassroots representation for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Following the 2020 DDC elections, the first held after Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory, the Centre had frequently cited the completion of the three-tier system as a hallmark of its democratic outreach. However, that structure is now set to dissolve. An order issued by Vilender Kumar Bhat, under secretary to the J&K government, said that as per the department of law, justice and parliamentary affairs, the DDCs' five-year term began on February 25, 2021. Consequently, these councils will "cease to exist with effect from February 24, 2026". The looming vacuum has sparked concern among former local representatives. Mir Iqbal, a former BDC member and district president of the Congress, warned that the absence of these tiers would force a return to an era where rural development depended solely on legislators. "We will be back to the old days where, instead of gram sabhas deciding their own fate, we depend on legislators who are often partisan in their allotment of works," Iqbal said, adding that grassroots democracy remains the foremost requirement for the region. While opposition parties have consistently demanded fresh polls, the government has remained non-committal. Though National Conference president Farooq Abdullah recently encouraged party members to prepare youth leaders for local body elections, chief minister Omar Abdullah struck a different chord. In a November interview with Hindustan Times, the CM clarified that local polls are not currently on the government's agenda, prioritising the restoration of statehood instead. "How many times do you want the people to vote without fulfilling the main promise of getting statehood back?" the CM had remarked, questioning the utility of repeated polling cycles without a constitutional upgrade. The last panchayat elections were held in 2018 and expired in 2023, while BDC polls took place in October 2019. Despite expectations that fresh elections would be held in 2024, they were delayed citing amendment issues. Rural development and panchayati raj minister Javeed Ahmad Dar did not respond to queries regarding a potential timeline for the polls. PDP spokesman and district president Mohammad Rafique Rather said DDC and panchayat are an important component of the Panchayati Raj System and most of the DDCs have performed well during the last 5 years. "Now, with their term ending, the government is under constitutional obligation to hold elections for panchayats, ULBs and DDCs. Delay in such elections is a betrayal with people. The present NC dispensation is delaying panchayat elections for the last one year. The PDP stands for early elections of panchayats , ULBs and DDCs. Dilly dallying tactics by the NC are not acceptable," he added....