Jammu and Kashmir elections schedule announced: Municipal polls from Oct 1, panchayat polls from Nov 8

Jammu and Kashmir's newly elected governor Satya Pal Malik on Friday announced the schedule for the municipal and panchayat elections in the state, which has been under Governor’s Rule since June. Satya Pal Malik chaired a State Administrative Council (SAC) meeting on Friday and after extensive deliberations on various aspects and feedback received from various departments a decision was taken to hold municipal polls in October followed by panchayat elections. 

As per the schedule, the elections of Urban Local Bodies will be held in four phases from 1 to 5 October whereas Panchayat polls will be conducted in eight phases from 8 November to 4 December. 

The chief electoral officer adjusted the schedules keeping in view security, operational and the polling requirements. The SAC has also decided to grant a month's extra salary in favour of the staff engaged in the conduct of elections, besides insurance cover to mitigate risks. Additionally, voter education will be given a special focus. For this purpose, the government will launch a sustained campaign to sensitise the voters about the importance of these elections in the socio-economic development at the grassroots level.

The election process will enable people to take decisions individually after which they will not have to go to the state capital or the district headquarters for their basic requirements.

Read: Mehbooba Mufti Justifies Terrorists Abducting Kin Of J&K Police Personnel, While Omar Abdullah Calls Out Selective Outrage Of Army Baiters

Meanwhile, 11 family members of the police personnel in Jammu and Kashmir were abducted in Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, and Anantnag. Pertaining to the abductions former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir took to Twitter and lumped terrorists and forces together and accused them of victimizing each other's families. 

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) Party leader Farooq Abdullah said that Mufti should not have said what she did. "The policeman's job is to protect law and order and if their families are targeted, we should be more favorable towards the families," he said. 

Farooq Abdullah also urged the militants from continuing with such activities saying that it was time that they stopped. " Enough is enough we've had a lot of bloodsheds everywhere. Time has come and they should stop"  he said. Adding to this, the senior NC leader also said that people of the country should stop indulging in activities that might bring the morale of the police force down.  

Get today’s India news and stay updated with latest news headlines. Follow the latest India news and never miss out on any updates from the world of Politics, Economy, Elections etc. Download the app or visit Republic World to watch Live TV & get all the breaking news from India.