NC to boycott panchayat polls, PDP calls for all-party meeting to resolve issues

Jammu and Kashmir's oldest political party, the National Conference, decided wednesday to boycott the elections to panchayat and urban local bodies in the state unless the Centre clarifies its position on Article 35-A of the Constitution, which is facing legal challenge in the Supreme Court.

Minutes after NC president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah made the announcement, the party's arch rival PDP expressed hope that newly appointed governor Satya Pal Malik would convene an all-party meeting to discuss the matter.

The National Conference, which held its core group meeting here, decided to stay out of the panchayat and urban local body elections, saying the decision to hold the polls had been taken in a "hurried" manner without taking into considerations the prevailing situation "created by the powers that be, by unnecessarily fiddling with Article 35-A".

The validity of Article 35A of the Constitution, which accords a slew of rights and privileges to the "permanent residents" of the state, has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

Talking to reporters after chairing the meeting, Abdullah said, "The core group unanimously decided that the National Conference will not participate in these elections unless and until the government of India and the state government clear their position in this regard and take effective steps for protection of Article 35-A in and outside the courts."
Abdullah said the core group had a detailed discussion about the prevailing situation in the state with particular reference to Article 35-A of the Constitution. "It was felt that any tinkering with Article 35-A would prove disastrous not only for our state but for the entire country."
NC vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah said, "It is now for the central government to clarify where it stands with regard to Article 35-A. It's not enough to use panchayat and municipal elections simply to delay proceedings in court."
The PDP president, tweeting from her personal handle, said, "The central government's plea in Supreme Court to link decision on (Article) 35-A with panchayat and urban bodies elections, was a disastrous idea, which has further alienated the people and complicated the situation on ground."