KV Correspondent

BJP to press for early panchayat polls at all-party meet

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Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP said today it would press for early panchayat polls at the all party meeting to be chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tomorrow.
Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Law and Justice, Abdul Haq Khan, said yesterday the meeting was called with an to seek views of all political parties on the polls.
The BJP governs the state in alliance with Mufti’s PDP.
A BJP state unit spokesman said its state president Sat Sharma and other leaders will represent the party at the meeting. “The BJP will press for early panchayat elections in the state,” he said after a meeting of state core committee.
The spokesman said the core committee unanimously decided that it is mandatory to hold elections in a time-bound manner which would eventually lead to the decentralisation of power.
The government had decided to hold the panchayat polls from February 15 after a meeting between Mufti and Governor N N Vohra in December.
Two days after their meeting, separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement called for boycotting the upcoming elections.
Militant-outfit Hizbul Mujahideen last month threatened to throw acid on those who will participate in the polls.
Meanwhile, the main opposition party National conference (NC) and Congress decided to participate in all party meeting, called by the PDP- BJP government tomorrow, to decide the fate of the Panchayat polls in the state.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will be chairing the all- party meeting in Panchayat Bhawan Jammu. As per reports the state government has convinced the Government of India about the situation not being conducive for the exercise.
National Conference, NC provincial president, Nasir Aslam Wani said that his party is attending the all-party meeting on Sunday. “Yes we are attending the all party meeting called by PDP, BJP government,” Wani said.
Criticizing the incumbent government, the National conference leader said that the government by calling the All Party meet is trying to pass the buck to other parties over deferment of the polls.
“The present situation is the outcome of government’s inefficiency to deal with the situation. If government was really serious about the panchayat polls it should have taken on board all the political parties of the state and should have listened to their concerns ahead of announcing the Panchayat polls in the state,” he said.
The State Congress Chief G.A. Mir said that his party is attending the all party meet. “We had asked the PDP BJP government that Chief Minister herself should convene the meeting instead of panchayat Raj minister. Now the Chief Minister is chairing the meeting, we have decided to participate, “he said and added that if asked the congress party will put its point of view in all-party meet.


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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