6.83% Power Tariff Hike Sparks Political Row in J&K; Omar Abdullah Calls It a “Compulsion”, BJP May Intensify Protest
||Black and White Digital News ||
||Parvinder Singh Aug 24,2026 ||
Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has defended the recently approved 6.83 per cent average increase in electricity tariffs in the Union Territory, describing the hike as a “compulsion” for the government and asserting that his administration had never promised that electricity rates would not be increased.
The tariff revision, approved by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), is scheduled to come into effect from September 1, 2026. The decision has already triggered criticism from opposition parties, with the BJP and other political groups accusing the National Conference-led government of placing an additional burden on consumers at a time when people were expecting relief.
Omar Abdullah, while responding to the criticism, said the government was not celebrating the increase and argued that the revision had become necessary because of the financial pressures facing the power sector. He also hit back at the BJP, pointing out that electricity tariffs had been increased by more than 14 per cent during the previous BJP-backed period of administration, while the present government had raised tariffs by around six per cent after four years.
The Chief Minister also sought to separate the tariff revision from the National Conference government’s promise of providing 200 units of free electricity. He said the two issues were not connected and maintained that the promise of 200 free units would be implemented through a solar-based scheme, particularly for eligible households.
However, the explanation has opened another political front for the Omar Abdullah government because the commitment to provide 200 units of free electricity was explicitly included in the National Conference’s 2024 Assembly election manifesto. While unveiling the manifesto in August 2024, Omar Abdullah had announced that the party would provide 200 units of free power to the people of Jammu and Kashmir if voted to power.
The BJP has seized on the issue, questioning the government over the gap between its election promise and the present tariff decision. BJP leaders have accused the NC government of turning a promise of free electricity into an increase in power bills and have indicated that the issue could become a major political campaign against the Omar Abdullah administration. BJP J&K spokesperson Altaf Thakur has already targeted the Chief Minister over the hike, invoking the NC’s promise of 200 free units.
With opposition parties already holding demonstrations against the tariff increase, political activity over the issue is expected to intensify in the coming days. The BJP is likely to consider protests and other forms of agitation against the hike, particularly by linking the tariff increase with the National Conference’s 2024 manifesto commitment of 200 units of free electricity. However, any specific future BJP protest programme or dates would depend on an official announcement by the party.
The controversy has therefore moved beyond the question of the tariff increase itself and is increasingly becoming a political battle over the National Conference’s election promises, the financial condition of the power sector and the government’s ability to provide the promised relief to consumers.
While the Omar Abdullah government maintains that the tariff revision was unavoidable and that the 200-unit free-power commitment will be fulfilled through a solar scheme, the BJP and other opposition parties are expected to continue pressing the government on what they describe as a contradiction between the promise of free electricity and the decision to increase tariffs.
