Civic, panchayat polls won't be deferred: J&K Chief Secretary

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam on Wednesday denied reports that the upcoming local body and municipal elections in the state will be deferred in view of boycott calls from the National Conference and the PDP.

Clearing the air on the issue, the state's Chief Secretary said, "Municipal and Panchayat polls will be held as per schedule."

He also refuted media reports that Governor Satya Pal Malik's administration was considering deferment of the municipal polls in view of the boycott calls by NC and the PDP.

Subrahmanyam said this while interacting with the media on the sidelines of an official function in Srinagar on Wednesday.

The regional National Conference (NC) and the Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had already announced the boycott of these polls.

Announcing their decision the two parties said that they were not against the electoral process but claimed that there were chaos and confusion regarding the Centre's stand on Article 35A which gives special privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Asking the Centre to clear its stand on the issue, the two parties said that they would not participate in any electoral exercise till the confusion on Article 35A is cleared.  

Meanwhile, the Congress too recently said that the current ground situation in the Kashmir Valley is not conducive for holding these polls.