Srinagar :The State Election Commission has initiated a process for holding Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
This comes days after Assembly Elections were conducted in Jammu and Kashmir after 10 years. NC-Congress is set to form the government in the Union Territory.
State Election Commission has directed district development commissioners to provide the soft copy of final Panchayat electoral 2024.
In a letter, a copy of which lies with news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), the State Election Commission has written district development commissioners, “I am directed to request you to kindly provide the soft copies of final panchayat electoral Roll 2024 for uploading on the website of State Election Commission.”
According to sources, the Panchayat elections are likely to be held before year end as the process has been initiated for holding these polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
A total of 27,281 panches (panchayat members) and sarpanches (village headmen) were elected in the 2018 elections. There were 12,776 vacant sarpanch and panch seats in J&K. Bypolls to the Panchayats were held in 2020.
The Panchayat polls in J&K are not conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) but by the J&K state election commission.
Almost 30,000 panches and sarpanches completed five-year terms on January 9, 2024, and with that, the disbursal of Rs 25 lakh panchayat fund also ceased. The 2024 Panchayat poll will be held after fresh delimitation of ‘Halqas’ (Revenue Villages).
(KINS)
