Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi emphasised on the need for strengthening panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir. Attending the CWC meeting, chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital, the Gandhi scion spoke on only one issue. Following the killings of a sarpanch and a deputy sarpanch, apparently by Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, in Baramulla district in just two weeks, nearly 100 panchs and sarpanchs have resigned from their posts. Panchayat elections were held in the state in April 2011.