8 phase panchayat by-poll in J&K: First notification to be out today

New Delhi, Feb 15: In March, the first major electoral exercise is set to take place in Jammu and Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370. An eight phase panchayat by-election to fill 12,650 seats will take place in J&K in March.

The elections will be held for 11,639 vacant seats for panches and 1,011 for sarpanches in 20 districts between March 5 and March 20. This time however elections will be held on a party basis.

In 2018, under the Governor's rule, elections were held on a non-party basis. Several seats had remained vacant due to lack of candidates and a looming threat from terror outfits. After taking into consideration all relevant factors and inputs from stakeholders, elections will be held between March 5 and March 20 2020, chief electoral officer of Jammu and Kashmir, Shailendra Kumar said. The first notification will be issued on February 15, he also said.

Polling will be held on March 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16 and 19. Voting will be held between 9 am and 1 pm and the counting of votes will take place on the same day. The results will be announced by evening.