Srinagar, June 13 -- Officials said that existing DDCs would complete their five- year term in February next year.

"Since they were formally constituted by the Department of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development on February 25, 2021, they would complete their term on February 24, 2026," they said, adding that they can be dissolved even before completing their five year term on the grounds of holding simultaneous polls for all tiers of Panchayati Raj system.

Legally speaking, the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 states that District Development Councils (DDCs) have a five-year term. However, if the government decides to hold common elections for all levels of the Panchayat system at the same time, the term of the DDCs may end earl...