J&K’s Democratic Revival: Panchayat and Urban Body Elections to Restore Local Governance After Long Delay
SRINAGAR, Oct 3: Panchayat and urban body elections in Jammu and Kashmir are likely to take place before the end of the year, with preparations already underway. Following the successful completion of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the Union Territory, officials have indicated that local elections are expected by December. These elections will mark the next step in completing the democratic process in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370.
Security arrangements, which were earlier in place for the Assembly elections, will remain until the Panchayat and urban body polls are concluded. Officials said that retaining security forces would avoid the costly redeployment associated with their movement in and out of the region.
The terms of office for the municipal corporations of Jammu and Srinagar expired in November last year. As per legal stipulations, elections should be conducted either before or shortly after the end of the corporation’s term. The delay in holding the polls has prompted the government to prioritize these elections, especially as they have become long overdue.
In the previous Panchayat elections held in 2018, a total of 27,281 panches (village council members) and sarpanches (village headmen) were elected, but many seats remained vacant. Bypolls were held in 2020 to fill some of these vacancies.
The upcoming Panchayat elections will involve fresh delimitation of ‘Halqas’ (revenue villages) as the five-year term of nearly 30,000 panches and sarpanches ended on January 9, 2024. The disbursement of Panchayat funds, amounting to Rs 25 lakh, also stopped following the completion of their tenure. The state election commission of Jammu and Kashmir, not the Election Commission of India, will conduct these elections.
These elections will play a crucial role in strengthening the grassroots democratic structure of Jammu and Kashmir, ensuring that all levels of governance are fully operational.
