BJP''s J&K unit president Ravinder Raina on Friday asked party workers to gear up for the upcoming by polls for over 12,500 panchayat seats in the Union Territory next month.

By-election for over 12,500 panchayat seats in Jammu and Kashmir would be held in eight phases from March 5, J&K Chief Electoral Officer Shailender Kumar said on Thursday.

Polling would be held from March 5 to March 20, using ballots to cast votes, he said.

"The BJP is ready to contest Panchayat elections inJammu & Kashmir," Raina said while chairing a meeting of UT''s seniorparty leaders at the party headquarters here to plan its strategy for the upcoming panchayat polls.

"As the J&K election authority has issued schedulefor elections to the vacant seats of sarpanchs and panchs in J&K, the partyactivists must gear up with their activities in their respective areas,"he said.

He said as these elections will now be conducted on partysymbols unlike the earlier election held in 2018, the BJP will have an edge inthe elections due to its developmental work.

In the meeting, the BJP''s state president also discussedwith his party leaders a wide range of issues related to the upcoming panchayatpolls.

He said with efforts of dedicated BJP leaders includingsarpanchs, panchs and BDC chairpersons elected in earlier poll process, the developmentalwork are progressing at full pace in both the Union Territories of J&K andLadakh, especially in their rural areas.

He said with the party''s strong emphasis on improving therural infrastructure, the common people from rural areas will wholeheartedlysupport the BJP in the panchayat elections.

Alleging that earlier panchayat polls were marred by"vicious electoral malpractice" with parties like NationalConference, People''s Democratic party and others giving calls to boycott thepolls, Raina said the people, hoever, ignored their anti-democratic campaignand voted in huge numbers, posing their trust in Prime Minister NarendraModi''s policy to strengthen the grassroots level democratic structure inJ&K.