J&K Panchayat bypolls announced; 1st polling exercise after Art 370 dilution

The Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir announced the first electoral exercise in the Union Territory since the dilution of Article 370. Panchayat by-elections will be held in the erstwhile state between March 5 and March 20 this year. However, Ladakh, which was earlier a part of the state, but now is a separate Union Territory, will not go to polls. Roughly 60% of Panchayat seats had remained vacant after the last such exercise in November-December 2018 due to lack of participation.