J&K Panchayat Bypolls In March, First Big Political Exercise In 7 Months ndtv.com

The by-election for nearly 13,000 panchayat seats in Jammu and Kashmir will be held next month, making it the first major political exercise in the region after the government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's special status split it into two union territories. The massive exercise will be conducted in eight phases. "The model code of conduct has come into forces in Jammu and Kashmir," State Chief Electoral Officer Shalinder Kumar said. In the panchayat election in 2018, two major political parties of Jammu and Kashmir including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) did not participate over the issue of special status. The election was largely boycotted in Kashmir and over 12,000 panchayat seats are still lying vacant.