Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 3

The State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday reviewed preparations for long-awaited Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir, but officials did not discuss any timeline for announcing or conducting the polls, sources familiar with the meeting said.

The review was chaired by State Election Commissioner Shantmanu and attended by Deputy District Election Officers, Naib Tehsildars and other election officials from the Jammu division.

According to sources, the meeting focused on administrative and technical preparations following the completion of the annual revision of Panchayat electoral rolls and their final publication on May 21.

Officials discussed updating databases, control tables and election manuals as part of the ongoing preparatory process, sources said.

“The updation is a continuous process. This was a routine meeting to assess preparations related to Panchayat polls and not to deliberate or take a call on the election timeline,” a source said.

A similar review meeting with election officials from the Kashmir division is scheduled for Thursday through video conferencing.

The discussions indicate that a final decision on the poll schedule is yet to be taken, despite growing demands from opposition parties for immediate elections to Panchayats and urban local bodies.

Speculation has persisted that Panchayat elections could be held after the conclusion of the annual Amarnath Yatra in August, although no official announcement has been made.

The demand for early elections has gained momentum amid indications from officials that the delayed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may not affect preparations for Panchayat polls.

Sources said the State Election Commission has the authority to independently decide whether to wait for completion of the SIR exercise before announcing elections.

“This is an independent process. There is no definitive correlation between the two as the commission’s revised electoral lists are already ready,” a source said.

The SEC has also written to the Jammu and Kashmir government seeking its decision on recommendations submitted by the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Commission, a key issue that remains unresolved.

Elections to Panchayats and urban local bodies are expected to be conducted only after the government takes a decision on OBC reservation, officials said.

J&K has been without an elected three-tier Panchayati Raj structure since February 2026, when the five-year term of the District Development Councils (DDCs) expired.

The terms of Panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) had ended earlier, on January 9, 2024, while the terms of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Jammu Municipal Corporation expired in November 2023. The terms of municipal councils and municipal committees across Jammu and Kashmir also ended during the same period.

Under J&K law, the SEC is responsible for the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations.

Shantmanu assumed office as State Election Commissioner on February 21, 2026, and initiated preparations for Panchayat elections within weeks of taking charge.

The latest electoral revision exercise began on March 27, 2026, with the publication of draft rolls. Final electoral rolls published in May recorded 7.22 million voters, including 3.66 million men, 3.56 million women and 141 third-gender electors.

Election officials added 339,384 new voters during the revision process, while 113,344 names were removed due to death, migration, duplication and other valid reasons.