Panchayat, local body polls are on: J&K chief secretary

The panchayat and the local body polls in Jammu and Kashmir are on despite the boycott by the two main regional parties, state Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam said on Monday.

His comments come on a day the Peoples Democratic Party said it would boycott the elections, saying the security situation was not conducive for holding these polls.

The party's decision comes days after its arch-rival, the National Conference, announced its decision to boycott these elections until the Centre and the governor administration clarify its position on Article 35-A, which gives special rights to the people in the state.

"Panchayat and local bodies polls are on. The decision was taken in July," Subrahmanyam told reporters when asked if the polls would be postponed.

He said the process of issuing notification for the polls would begin within a week. "For the urban and local bodies polls, the voter-list drafts have been published and the delimitation and reservation of constituencies has been done. The actual notification will be issued by the CEO (chief electoral officer, J&K) in a few days."