The Sarpanchs (head of village Panchayats) opine that the panchayat elections in the year 2018 ushered in a positive change in Kashmir valley which has suffered a lot from militancy for a long period. They are of the view that recent successful holding of the District Development Council (DDC) elections have proved that democracy and development now have a real chance in the state. Chaudhary Nazir Ahmed, the Sarpanch of village Panchgam in Kulgam district of Kashmir asserts that days of peace are returning in the valley and the people have now shown that they want development. He said that 2018 elections were instrumental in starting the positive change in the state and in the valley and recent DDC elections have taken forward that spirit of change and development.