Jammu : After successfully conducting the Assembly elections, the government is now preparing to hold municipal and panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by the end of this year, according to highly placed sources.
In a strategic move, security forces and paramilitary personnel deployed to ensure the peaceful conduct of the Assembly elections will remain in J&K until the municipal and panchayat elections are completed.
“The decision to retain the security forces is driven by the need to avoid the significant costs associated with redeploying forces for another round of elections,” the sources revealed. “The government has determined that it would be more efficient for these forces to stay until the municipal and panchayat elections are conducted, likely by the year’s end.”
The terms of the municipal corporations in both Jammu and Srinagar expired last November. As per legal requirements, elections must be held either before or shortly after the end of the corporation’s term. The delay has made these elections long overdue, prompting the government to prioritize their completion.
The paramilitary and security forces, initially deployed for the Amarnath Yatra and later expanded during the Parliament elections, are still stationed in the region. “Their presence will increase further to ensure the peaceful conduct of these upcoming local body elections,” sources added.
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized, during their campaign for the Assembly elections, the BJP’s commitment to strengthening grassroots democracy in J&K. They highlighted the successful conduct of municipal, panchayat, Block Development Council (BDC), and District Development Council (DDC) elections as key milestones in this effort.
