On Thursday, the Election Commission said the byelection for the vacant panchayat  seats in Jammu and Kashmir's Union Territory would take place in eight phases next month.That is the first major political exercise since last year's August repeal of Article 370. Also, Jammu and Kashmir state was divided into two territories of the Union-J&K and Ladakh. Announcing the schedule of the polls, J&K Chief Electoral Officer Shailendra Kumar said ballot boxes will be used in the elections. "There will be 8 phases of elections. For Jammu division it is 4 phases, for Kashmir division it is 8 phases," he added.