J&K Assembly starts debate on 33 private members Bills, three fail to pass

With Statehood standing not in sight, the J&Ok Assembly on Monday (March 30, 2026) started voting on round 33 private members’ Bills, together with these on the safety of land, regularisation of jobs, and the return of Pandits. However, three Bills submitted by Opposition events already failed to pass the ground check. 

Those Bills that failed to pass the ground check included PDP legislator Waheed ur Rehman Parra’s Sheikh-ul-Alam University Bill for Pulwama; BJP legislator Balwant Singh Mankotia’s Bill on safety of temples and retrieval of illegally occupied land, and Congress legislator Nizam-ud-Din Bhat’s Bill on equitable alternative of employment within the civil companies.

“J&K’s successive governments, including the present dispensation led by Omar Abdullah, have ensured protection of temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches alike,” mentioned Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, whereas opposing the Bill of the BJP.

The ruling National Conference (NC) has 42 members within the 90-member House. 

Former J&Ok Chief Minister and Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti, who attended the J&Ok Assembly within the guests’ gallery, described the private members’ Bills because the occasion’s bid “to rebuild the Assembly brick by brick”, within the wake of the downgrading of J&Ok right into a UT in 2019.

“Bills have been introduced on daily wage workers, land rights, and the creation of a separate division for Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions. Both the government and Opposition need to work together to address the disempowerment of the Assembly and restore its effectiveness,” Ms. Mufti mentioned.

All eyes are on NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq’s J&Ok Land Grants (Restoration and Protection) Bill, 2025. “The Bill, if passed, will undo the amendments made to the Land Grants Act 1960 in 2022. It will bring relief to those locals who legally have leased land with them for schools, shops, and hotels. I hope the Bill comes up for debate and is adopted,” Mr. Sadiq mentioned.

The J&Ok Assembly has earmarked two days for the private member Bills. J&Ok Chief Minister has supported the ruling occasion’s bid to oppose the three private members’ Bills. “The government does not oppose any private members’ Bills without due consideration. All proposals are examined in detail before a view is taken,” mentioned Mr. Abdullah.

The House may also debate on Bills looking for a ban on the sale and consumption of liquor within the Union Territory and regularisation of informal and daily-rated staff and social safety provisions for unemployed youth.