J&K panchayat by-polls: 804 sarpanchs, panchs elected unopposed

Jammu, November 27

As many as 804 sarpanchs and panchs have been elected unopposed ahead of the panchayat by-polls in Jammu and Kashmir, an official said on Friday.

The first phase of the polls begins Saturday.

“As many as 768 panchs and 36 sarpanchs have been elected unopposed,” State Election Commissioner KK Sharma told reporters.

As per official data, 11,500 seats for the post of panch and 890 for sarpanch are vacant in Kashmir, and 185 seats for panch and 124 for sarpanch in Jammu division.

In 2018, regional parties, including the NC and PDP, had boycotted the panchayat elections, when 83.5 per cent turnout was recorded in Jammu division while Kashmir Valley, which also included Ladakh then, recorded 44.4 per cent turnout.

The District Development Council elections and panchayat by-polls are being held in eight phases, between November 28 and December 19. The counting of votes will be conducted on December 22. PTI