Panchayat and Urban Body Elections Expected in J&K by Year-End
Elections for Panchayats and urban bodies in Jammu and Kashmir are likely to take place before the end of the year. Following the successful completion of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the region, officials have indicated that local elections are set to be conducted by December.
Preparations for the Panchayat and urban body elections are currently underway. To ensure a smooth electoral process, security forces that were deployed for the Assembly elections will remain in J&K until these local elections are completed. Officials noted that this decision to retain security personnel was made to minimize the costs associated with redeployment.
The terms for municipal corporations in both Jammu and Srinagar expired last November, necessitating elections to be held either before or soon after the end of their terms. The delay in these elections has made them a priority for the government.
Initially, security forces were assigned to assist with the Amarnath Yatra and subsequently for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls. After the Panchayat and urban body elections, all democratic processes at the grassroots level will be finalized in J&K following the abrogation of Article 370.
The last Assembly elections took place on September 16, 2018, conducted on a non-party basis, although political parties fielded candidates without formal support. In 2018, 27,281 panches (local council members) and sarpanches (village heads) were elected, while 12,776 seats remained vacant. Bypolls for the Panchayats were held in 2020.
It’s important to note that Panchayat elections in J&K are managed by the J&K state election commission rather than the Election Commission of India (ECI). As nearly 30,000 panches and sarpanches are set to complete their five-year terms on January 9, 2024, the disbursal of the Rs 25 lakh Panchayat fund will cease. The 2024 Panchayat elections will follow a fresh delimitation of ‘Halqas’ (revenue villages).
