SP to boycott Legislative Council polls in J-K

"We have decided to boycott the polls for Legislative Council seats under Panchayat quota in Jammu and Kashmir. There is total failure on the part of the government to empower Panchayat Raj institution the state," SP state unit president Sheikh Abdul Rehman told reporters here today.

Rehman also asked the Panchayat members, including panches and sarpanches to boycott from the polls as they have only been considered by the government as "voters" and deliberately denied powers.

Rehman alleged that two years after holding the Panchayat polls, no Block Development Council (BDC) and District development Board (DDB) polls were held in order to deny the rights to Panchayat members.

While the entire country has elected District Board chairmen under the Panchayat Raj Institution, but in the state there is a nominated chairman in the form of the cabinet minister as a result of which the Centre has denied funds to the state.