Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh said the upcoming local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be of historic significance.

“The local body elections will have a historic significance in many aspects,” the minister said in a statement. “The local body elections will re-establish the long overdue grassroots level democracy in J&K [Jammu and Kashmir].”

After the elections, the Centre would be able to distribute Rs 4,335 crore of the 14th Finance Commission’s central grants to local bodies, he added. The home minister said the Centre would provide all support, including central forces, for the smooth conduct of the elections.

The panchayat elections will be held in nine phases between November 17 and December 11, while elections to municipal bodies will be held in four phases between October 8 and October 16.

Earlier this month, Singh appealed to political parties in the state to participate in the upcoming elections. The National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party have decided to boycott the elections, citing concerns about the Centre’s stand on Article 35A, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court. The article, incorporated into the Constitution in 1954, grants special rights and privileges to the residents of the state.

The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), however, have said they will contest the polls. The state has been under Governor’s Rule since June after the Bharatiya Janata Party ended its alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party.