Majority of J&K parties for deferring Panchayat polls

Majority of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday called for the forthcoming Panchayat polls in the state to be deferred.

The demands were made at an all-party meet chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and attended by senior leaders of the the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the opposition, to seek views on the Panchayat polls likely to be held this year.

Rural Development Minister Haq Khan told reporters afterwards that a majority of leaders felt the situation was not conducive for holding these polls.

"They suggested that the polls should be deferred," he said.

Due to be held in 2016, these polls had to be deferred because of the unrest in the Valley that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016.

Political debate on whether or not these polls should be held early this year had gained currency after Mehbooba Mufti said last December that the process of holding Panchayat polls would begin on February 15, 2018.

The last panchayat elections were held in the state in 2011.

--IANS

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