Election to 28,000 panchayat seats in Jammu and Kashmir, where the ongoing term of panchs ended on Tuesday, is likely to be delayed as there are multiple processes pending following the passage of the J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Parliament. Officials suggested that panchayat elections are unlikely to be held ahead of the Lok Sabha election, unless they are fast-tracked in the time available.
Also read: No local body representatives in J&K from January 9; no Assembly since 2018
The term of 28,000 panchs or grassroots representatives, who were elected in 2018 to the first-ever three-tier system of representation in the Union Territory — panchayat, block and district-level councils — ended after the completion of the five year term on Tuesday, January 9.
