DDC Chairpersons above Member of Parliament in J&K’s revised warrant of precedence

Jammu and Kashmir Government on Tuesday once again issued a revised warrant of precedence and have placed the newly elected District Development Council (DDC) chairpersons equivalent to Deputy Ministers in States. DDC chairpersons have been placed above Member of Parliament in the warrant of precedence.

“DDC members along with Block Development Council members and president of municipal councils and municipalities will enjoy the protocol like that of district magistrates, officers of the rank of Brigadier and equivalent, major heads of departments and district and session judges,” order issued by Hospitality and Protocol Department read.

In an order issued by the Hospitality and Protocol Department, the DDC chairpersons have now been placed at serial number 19A which was earlier at 26 in the list and were included with Divisional Commissioners, Inspector Generals of Police, joint secretaries to the union government and officers of equivalent rank besides the administrative secretaries and officers of the rank of Major General or equivalent rank and triggered protests in Jammu and Kashmir leading Government to issue the revised warrant of precedence.

While speaking to the media on March 10, DDC member from Kulgam, Habibullah Rather had said that the government was granting the Minister of State (MoS) / MLA status to DDC chairpersons but it seems our status has been downgraded and the reason being some people in the bureaucracy. The protest was called off after assurance by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

The DDC vice-chairpersons have been placed at serial number 26, equivalent to the Divisional Commissioners, Joint secretaries and officers of the rank of Major General in the warrant of precedence.

For the maiden DDC polls, Farooq Abdullah-led People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) came out to be the biggest of all in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. PAGD won 110 seats, while the BJP emerged as the single largest party by getting 75 seats in the Union Territory.

Independent candidates have won 50, Congress 26, Apni Party 12, PDF and the National Panthers Party two each and the BSP one apart from People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (110 seats) and BJP (75 seats).