Chairpersons of DDCs to be elected after administering of oath to members

1/3rd of seats to be reserved for women

Srinagar:The chairpersons of District Development Councils in Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory will be elected immediately after the members elected during the ongoing elections are administered oath.The amendments made by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in “The Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act’’-1989, define the procedure for election of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of DDCs.“After the declaration of the results, the deputy commissioner shall, as soon as possible but not later than one week of such declaration, call under his presidentship a meeting of elected members of the district development council for the purpose of oath or affirmation or allegiance,” reads the amendments. According to the law, the chairpersons and vice-chairperson of a DDCs will be elected from among elected members of the council.“Immediately after oath or affirmation of allegiance is administered or made, the elected members of a district development council shall, in the prescribed manner, elect from amongst themselves one of its members to be the chairperson and another to be the Vice-chairperson of the district development council,” reads the law.Under the law, if the office of the chairperson or vice-chairperson is vacated or falls vacant during the tenure on account of death, resignation or no- confidence motion, a fresh election shall be held within a period of three months from the date of occurrence of vacancy.According to the amendments, one-third of the total number of seats for the office of the chairperson of district development councils in the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir shall be reserved for women.It further states that the seats reserved for women shall be allotted by rotation in such manner as may be prescribed