After NC, PDP to boycott J&K municipal and panchayat polls
SRINAGAR:THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided not to take part in the upcoming urban local body and panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir in the “current atmosphere of fear”, party chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday, days after her rival National Conference (NC) threatened to boycott the polls until the Centre and the local administration took steps to allay apprehensions over Article 35A, which grants special privileges to the militancy-hit state.
“The PDP has been conducting deliberations over local body elections. The present situation is very fragile and sensitive. Unfortunately, the atmosphere has been vitiated because of the linking of Article 35A. So, we passed a resolution on the issue at a meeting today,” said former chief minister, Mufti, whose government collapsed in June after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) broke its alliance with the PDP.
After a meeting of top PDP leaders at her Srinagar residence, Mufti said, “It was felt that any attempt to impose any electoral exercise in the current atmosphere of fear and apprehension would seriously erode the credibility of the process and institutions. It would defeat the very purpose of it.”
J&K, which is under Governor’s Rule, is tense over apprehensions that Article 35A of the Constitution might be scrapped. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions on Article 35A, which empowers the J&K legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and provide special rights and privileges to them. The court has put off the hearings to January after the Centre and the state government argued that it could lead to a law and order situation ahead of the panchayat and local body elections, slated for October-november.
While Omar Abdullah’s NC has said that it would stay away from the polls unless and until the Centre and the state administration “take effective steps for the protection of Article 35A in and outside the Courts”, the BJP has decided to participate in the elections. Congress leadership is expected to meet on Tuesday to take a call on the issue.
BJP spokesperson, Altaf Thakur, said that both the PDP and the NC were running away from the elections, which are meant to strengthen democracy. “These elections are being held to improve the basic facilities which people need in towns and villages. Unfortunately, both these big mainstream political parties are playing politics over these elections.’’ “Despite the boycott, people will participate in these elections and other parties will participate,” he added.
J&K Pradesh Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said, “We have called a meeting of our leaders tomorrow...we will seek feedback from our district leaders about these elections.’’
Shafiq Mir, the chairman of All J&K Panchayat Conference, said that the decision of the PDP and the NC — the two main regional parties in the state — will have an impact on the credibility of the elections. “Let the government issue the notification. Then only we will clear our stand on whether we will be part of the election process.” Mir said that his forum, an organisation of former panchayat members, had recently held a meeting with the governor and requested him to conduct the elections after the situation on the ground improves.
J&K chief secretary BVR Subramanian told reporters in south Kashmir that the notification for elections to urban local bodies and panchayats will be released by the chief electoral officer (CEO) in the coming days. “(The) Decision was taken in July. The voter list has already been finalised. In the coming days, the CEO will be issuing the notifications, first for urban local body polls and then for the panchayat polls.”
A central security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the initial plan was to issue the notification for urban local body polls on Monday but it seemed that there might be some delay. Another central security official posted in Srinagar, who too did not wish to be identified, said, “Panchayat polls are fought on non-party lines but political parties do fight elections on their symbols in case of urban local bodies . The decision of the NC and the PDP to boycott polls may be cause for concern but it is not a huge setback to whole process.”
(Win inputs from HTC in Delhi)