Srinagar:   Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra said today that the urban local body and panchayat polls in the state will be held from September this year.

Governor N N Vohra during in his independence speech said that elections to urban local bodies and panchayats have been pending for long. The prolonged delay in the establishment of democratically-elected self-governing bodies at the grassroots level in urban and rural areas has resulted in the loss of considerable funds which would have become available if elections had been held.

He said elections to urban local bodies will take place in September October while the phased panchayat polls will be held in October-December.

The last panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2011. The urban local body elections have not been held for nearly eight years.