J&K panchayat body slams govt over delay in holding polls

Accusing the government of “delaying tactics” , the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) has sought timely elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions in the UT, the term for which is ending in January.

Speaking to reporters Friday, AJKPC president Anil Sharma said all “pro-democracy people” in both Kashmir and Jammu regions “want peace and development, which is possible only through constitutional means”.

Panchayat and urban local body elections in J&K were last held in 2018, after a gap of seven years. The terms of most of the urban local bodies in the UT have expired, with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha having said that municipal elections will be held after fresh delimitation.