Situation not conducive for Panchayat Polls in JK: NC

Srinagar, Feb 03: Ahead of the All Party Meet slated to be held on February 4 in Jammu, the opposition national conference on Saturday said the situation for holding Panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir is not conducive.
National conference general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar who is going to lead the party delegation during the All Party Meet on Panchayat polls, stated that the situation for holding Panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir is not conducive as the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti herself has stated on the floor of the house. The NC leader however maintained that the ball is in the court of the government and that it has to take the final call over whether to defer or hold the polls on time in the state. “Perhaps the government has realised the mistake of announcing the Panchayat polls as it has now stated clearly that the situation is quite worrisome on ground. Now it is the government which has to see what measures are needed to be taken on ground,” Sagar said.
Meanwhile, as per sources, the opposition national conference held a high level meeting on Saturday evening to discuss party’s strategy in Sunday’s All Party meet going to take place at Panchayat Bhavan, Jammu. It was informed that the party general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar will lead party’s delegation during the meeting. Other NC leaders who will participate in the meeting include party’s Provincial president Jammu Davinder Singh Rana and Kashmir’s provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani.

Congress to press for Anantnag by-polls during All Party meet

Srinagar, Feb 03: The state Congress on Saturday said it will push for the conduction of parliament by-polls in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency during the All Party Meet scheduled to be held in Jammu on February 4.
“During the All Party meet, the Congress will demand that the government must clear its stand on the by-polls in Anantnag that are being deferred by the government citing the security situation,” state Congress chief G.A. Mir said.
He added that ahead of discussing anything related to the holding of Panchayat polls in the state, the government has to explain why it is reluctant to hold the Parliament by-polls in Anantnag that were postponed in April last year.
He added that the Election Commission of India so far has written six times to the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti over holding the parliament elections in South Kashmir, however, according to Mir, CM cited security reasons for the delay. “What happened all of sudden that she took the decision to hold panchayat elections that too without seeking suggestions or views from other political parties of the state,” Mir said.
He questioned that when the government took the decision to hold the Panchayat polls unilaterally, what made it to call for the All Party Meet now. “The fact is that the government is trying to pass the buck to other political parties and want to make them responsible for the delay. The main reason for the deferment in the Panchayat polls in the government’s failure to make the situation conducive and peaceful,” Mir said.
Meanwhile, the state Congress, as per sources, is holding a party meet on Sunday morning in Jammu ahead of taking part in the All Party meet called by the government.