Srinagar, July 15 -- The elections, once held, will mark a major step in reviving grassroots democracy in the Union Territory after a prolonged gap.

"We are committed to conduct the elections at the earliest and ensure that democratic processes are restored at the grassroots. We will start the discussion on these crucial elections after the yatra concludes, a senior official, wishing anonymity said

The last ULB and Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2018. Their respective terms ended in October and December 2023.

The elections had been delayed primarily due to the pending report on the percentage of reservation to be given to the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, several new ...