Srinagar, Oct 3 (IANS): The Panchayat and urban body elections are likely to be held before the year's end in Jammu and Kashmir.

After the successful conclusion of Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in J&K, officials say the local elections will be held by December.

“Preparations are now underway for the Panchayat and urban body elections in J&K. For this purpose security forces deployed to ensure the peaceful conduct of the Assembly elections will remain in J&K until the municipal and panchayat elections are completed,” said the officials.

Officials said that the decision to retain the security forces has been taken keeping in view the high cost associated with to and fro movement and for the redeployment of such forces in J&K.

The terms of office 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 prioritise their completion.

Security forces were first deployed for the Amarnath Yatra and later for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls.

After the conduct of Panchayat and urban body polls, all democratic processes, including the very grassroots level, will be completed in J&K post abrogation of Article 370.

The last Assembly polls were held on September 16, 2018. The 2018 polls were held on a non-party basis although political parties had fielded candidates without openly supporting them.

A total of 27,281 panches (panchayat members) and sarpanches (village headmen) were elected in the 2018 elections. There were 12,776 vacant sarpanch and panch seats in J&K. Bypolls to the Panchayats were held in 2020.

The Panchayat polls in J&K are not conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) but by the J&K state election commission.

Almost 30,000 panches and sarpanches completed five-year terms on January 9, 2024, and with that, the disbursal of Rs 25 lakh panchayat fund also ceased. The 2024 Panchayat poll will be held after fresh delimitation of ‘Halqas’ (Revenue Villages).