Srinagar: As many as 47 blocks will kickstart the first phase of the panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The polls are staggered in nine phases, ending on December 17. In order to have smooth polling, heavy security arrangements have been made with huge number of security personnel deployed at every polling booth. Out of the 47 blocks, 21 are in Jammu region, 16 in Kashmir valley and 10 blocks in Ladakh region.
In total, 58.54 lakh voters will be casting their votes in 316 blocks. There are 4,483 panchayat halqas and 35,029 panch constituencies. Last time panchayat polls were held in 2011 and it was due in 2016. However, during the five-year term several panchayat members were killed.