Leh/Jammu, Oct 29: The elections to the municipal committees of Leh and Kargil, comprising 38 wards, will be held on November 21, Ladakh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rahul Sharma announced on Thursday.

According to a notification issued by the CEO, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force and will remain in effect until November 30, when the election process is completed.

The last panchayat and municipal elections in Ladakh were held in 2018, when it was part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The notification for fresh elections was issued as the terms of both municipal committees have ended.

The electoral rolls for the Leh Municipal Committee, comprising 21 wards, and the Kargil Municipal Committee, comprising 17 wards, have been prepared and published, it said.

As per the schedule, the last date for filing nominations is November 5, while scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on November 6.

Candidates can withdraw their nominations till November 9, which is also the date for the allotment of election symbols and publication of the list of contesting candidates.

Polling, if required, will be held on November 21, from 8 am to 5 pm in all wards of both municipal committees, it said.

The elections are being conducted under the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, and the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Committee (Election) Rules, 2003.–(PTI)