The decision to increase electricity tariffs in Jammu & Kashmir at a time when ordinary families are already struggling with the rising cost of living is deeply disappointing. More importantly, it raises a fundamental question of political accountability: what happened to the promises made to the people before the Assembly elections?

The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved an average tariff increase of 6.83 per cent, applicable from September 1, 2026. For metered domestic consumers, the rate for consumption up to 200 units has increased from ₹2.30 to ₹2.45 per unit; for 201–400 units, from ₹4.00 to ₹4.20; and above 400 units, from ₹4.35 to ₹4.60 per unit.These figures may appear small when viewed from the comfort of government offices. For an ordinary household, however, every additional financial burden matters.

From promise of relief to reality of higher billsThe National Conference went before the electorate promising 200 units of free electricity. That promise naturally created expectations among families that desperately needed relief.Today, instead of experiencing the promised relief, consumers are confronting increased tariffs.The government may argue that its promise of free electricity and the general electricity tariff are technically separate matters. But politics cannot be reduced to technical explanations. The real question is what an ordinary voter understood when promises of cheaper or free electricity were made.People vote on the basis of promises and the reasonable expectations created by those promises.If financial constraints, distribution losses and the cost of purchasing electricity were realities after the election, they were realities before the election as well. Governments cannot discover economic realities only after obtaining the........

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