Jammu Kashmir Elections: Panchayat and urban body elections in Jammu and Kashmir are likely to be held before the end of the year. After the successful completion of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, officials say that local elections will be held by December.
Officials said, preparations are going on for Panchayat and urban body elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The security forces deployed to conduct the assembly elections peacefully will remain in Jammu and Kashmir till the completion of the municipality and panchayat elections. Officials said that the decision to retain security forces there has been taken keeping in mind the travel expenses and redeployment of such forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
The term had ended last year only
The tenure of both Jammu and Srinagar municipal corporations had ended last November. Elections should be held before or immediately after the expiry of the term of the corporation. Due to delay, these elections are pending for a long time, due to which the government has to give priority to completing them. Security forces were deployed first for the Amarnath Yatra and later for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
The last local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2018 on a non-party basis, although political parties fielded candidates without openly supporting them. A total of 27,281 panchs (panchayat members) and sarpanches (village heads) were elected in the 2018 elections. 12,776 seats of Sarpanch and Panch were vacant in Jammu and Kashmir. By-elections were held for Panchayats in 2020.
Who conducts Panchayat elections?
Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), but by the Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commission. On January 9, 2024, about 30,000 Panches and Sarpanches completed their five-year tenure and with this the distribution of Panchayat funds worth Rs 25 lakh also stopped. Now the new Panchayat elections will be held after the new delimitation of ‘Halka’ (revenue villages).