Former bureaucrat Shantmanu was sworn in as the State Election Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, marking a significant step toward the conduct of long-pending local body elections in the Union Territory.
The oath of office was administered by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan. The event was attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with members of his cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather. Senior officials present included Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat.
Shantmanu, a 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT cadre, was appointed to the post on February 17 for a term of five years or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. He recently retired as Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner in Jammu and Kashmir. He succeeds B R Sharma, whose tenure concluded in April 2024.
His appointment is expected to clear the way for the conduct of panchayat and other local body elections in the Union Territory. The terms of municipalities ended in October–November 2023, while panchayats and block development councils completed their five-year tenure on January 9, 2024. The district development councils are set to complete their term on February 24, after which no elected local bodies will remain functional in Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials said elections could not be conducted on schedule due to multiple factors, including the delimitation exercise and the reservation of wards for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The vacancy in the office of the State Election Commissioner had also been cited as a key hurdle.
Recently, the Chief Minister stated that the government was making necessary arrangements to hold the elections at the earliest. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act and relevant Municipal Acts, the State Election Commission is vested with the authority to prepare electoral rolls and conduct elections to local bodies.
