SRINAGAR: A day after announcing the schedule for municipal polls, Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shaleen Kabra on Sunday announced that panchayat polls would be held in the state in nine phases, from November 17.
“The nine-phase panchayat polls in the state to 316 Blocks in 4,490 Panchayat Halqas comprising 35,096 Panch constituencies will be held from November 17. The polling for next eight phases will be held on November 20, 24, 27, 29, December 1, December 4, December 8 and December 11,” Kabra told reporters in Srinagar.
He said the notifications for each phase of polls would be issued on the 23rd, 26th and 29th of October, and on November 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 14.
“Since the elections will be held on non-party basis, the candidates are free to choose symbols of their choice,” he said.
The CEO said the last dates for filing nominations for the nine-phase polls would be October 30, and November 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16, 19 and 22.
The dates of scrutiny of nominations will be October 31, and November 3, 6, 9, 12, 14, 17, 20 and 24.
The CEO said the last dates for withdrawal of candidature would be November 2, 5, 8, 12, 14, 16, 19, 22 and 26.
He said the counting of votes would be done on the day of polling and in some cases, if required, the counting would take place the next day.
Kabra said the voting would be done with ballot papers. “In view of recent amendments making direct election to sarpanch, the electors shall cast their votes for panch as well as sarpanch, for which two separate coloured ballot papers will be used.”
He announced that poll timing would be from 8 am to 2 pm and entire polls process would be completed by December 17. The CEO said about 58 lakh electorate would be eligible to exercise their franchise.