Centre plans J&K local body polls while the state is under Governor’s rule

The Centre is laying the groundwork for long-overdue local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir while the state remains under Governor’s rule, with urban local body polls expected first and panchayat polls to follow.

Rajnath Singh’s review in Srinagar

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed security and development in the state at a meeting in Srinagar on Thursday, alongside the Governor, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior officers of the Army, Central paramilitary forces, the home ministry and the state government. He stressed that Central funds and development must reach the grassroots by setting up and strengthening local self-government. Municipal elections were last held in the state in 2005, and there have been no panchayat polls since 2011.

Singh said honest, effective and efficient administration could bring peace and stability, and that the Centre was committed to accountability and transparency. In a series of tweets he wrote, “The solution to problems lies in empowerment of the people and strengthening the institutions of local self-governance.”

Timing of the polls

According to sources, the state administration has been asked to prepare for the elections. An official said the schedule would take account of security, the weather, the tourist season and the Amarnath Yatra. The first round, most likely for urban bodies, was not expected before mid-August and could be held in September or October, with a decision on panchayat polls depending on how the municipal elections went.

Why the polls were delayed

Sources said the Centre, and Singh in particular, had long urged Mehbooba Mufti to hold the polls, but she kept postponing them on security grounds. Panchayat elections were put off in 2016 after the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani set off violent protests, and again in 2017 after violence and a very low turnout in the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election. Officials argued that state politicians had resisted empowering local bodies and that the Governor’s administration offered a chance to hold the elections without such obstacles. Sources also said Governor’s rule had sped up the clearing of government files.

J&K came under Governor’s rule on June 20 after the BJP withdrew support from its coalition partner, the PDP.

What happened next

In August 2019 Parliament ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370, and the state was reorganised into two union territories.

See also: elections, Bharatiya Janata Party

Originally published on 6 July 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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