J&K panchayat polls: All-party meet ends without consensus

JAMMU : Stalemate on holding the Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir continued, as the all-party meeting convened by chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday to discuss the issue of holding panchayat elections in the state, ended without any consensus.

Representatives of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, CPI(M), People’s Democratic Front, National Panthers Party, Awami Itihaad Party and DPN attended the meeting and put forth their suggestions.

As per sources, all the main political parties including PDP, BJP and Congress were in favour of holding early elections. While the principal opposition, National Conference (NC), was against immediate elections, according to the party the situation was not conducive especially in the Valley to hold elections at the present juncture.

NC leaders pointed out in the meeting that, if the situation was conducive, then why Lok Sabha elections for Anantnag were not held. Last year, the election commission had cancelled the bypoll

ALL THE MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES, INCLUDING PDP, BJP AND CONG WERE IN FAVOUR OF HOLDING EARLY ELECTIONS, WHILE THE OPPN NC WAS AGAINST IMMEDIATE ELECTIONS, SAY SOURCES

for Anantnag parliamentary election as well, citing unfavourable law and order situation in the region. The NC members stressed on deferring the elections.

However, PDP, BJP and even Congress were of the view that elections should held at the earliest. Due to NC’S opposition the meeting ended without any consensus on holding the elections.

In December last year, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had said that Panchayat elections would be held from February 15.

The panchayat elections were last held in March-april 2011 after a gap of nearly four decades. The panchayats were constituted in May-june 2011 and they completed their term in June 2016.