PDP To Boycott Upcoming Panchayat, Municipal Elections

Srinagar:Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday announced that it will boycott the upcoming Panchayat and municipal polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
The move comes just days after National Conference announced that it will not contest the polls “until and unless the government of India and the state government clear their position on Article 35 A, and takes effective steps to protect Article 35 A in and outside the court”.

Addressing reporters after the party meeting, PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said they will not contest the polls as the prevailing situation was not favourable.

She said the government was not keen at defending 35A and insecurity has crept in the population. “The party therefore urges the Govt to review its decision to hold polls at this juncture,” she said.

The State Administrative Council (SAC), headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik, on August 30 announced that the elections to urban local bodies in the state will be held between October 1 and October 5.Panchayat elections — not held in the state since 2011 — are scheduled to be held between November 8 and December 4.