Srinagar, Sep 09: State Election Commission (SEC) is gearing up for holding Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir by the end of this year and preparations are in the last stage in this regard, officials on Saturday said.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the State Election Commission (SEC) BR Sharma told Rising Kashmir that plans are underway to commence a revision of electoral rolls and rotation of reserved seats for Panchayat elections in the near future.
“Panchayat elections will be held before the end of this year and preparations are in the final stage. We are working in this regard and hopefully elections will be held on time,” he said.
The State Election Commission (SEC) holds the mandate for overseeing the organisation of Panchayat elections, whereas the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) is in-charge of managing municipal polls. In a sequence akin to that of 2018, municipal elections will precede Panchayat elections.
The Panchayats are set to complete their five-year term on January 9, 2024, and as a result, it is anticipated that the Panchayat elections will probably take place during the months of November and December.
Notably, the Urban Local Body (ULB) elections in 2018 marked the first such polls in 13 years, while Panchayat elections took place after an even more extended hiatus of several decades. The CEO has recently unveiled the draft reservation list for ULB wards, which will undergo finalisation after the consideration of objections. Meanwhile, the final voter list for these elections has already been released.
