J-K municipal polls scheduled for October

The State Administrative Council (SAC) of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday announced that the municipal polls will be held from October 1 to 5, followed by the Panchayat elections in November. The decision was taken after a meeting under the chairmanship of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik.

The SAC took the decision that elections to the municipal bodies would be conducted in four phases between the aforementioned dates, while elections to the Panchayats would be conducted in eight phases between November 8 and December 4.

Keeping in mind the security concerns along with the operational and polling requirements, the Chief Electoral Officer was instructed by the council to adjust the schedules of the respective elections.

In an attempt to mitigate risks that might occur during the polls, the SAC also decided to give a month's extra remuneration and insurance cover to the staff involved in the conduct of the elections.

"Voter education will be given 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," an official spokesperson of the State Administrative Council said.