PDP hopes Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik will conduct all-party meet for ULB, panchayat elections

Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday said it was hopeful that Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik will convene an all-party meeting on holding of urban local body and panchayat elections in the state. [caption id=“attachment_5049881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of former Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti. PTI[/caption] “(When) in government I had called an all party meeting to discuss ULB/Panchayat elections and majority of the parties had opposed holding of elections at that time. We expected that the governor too would have called an All Party meet where everyone would put forward their view point,” PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a series of tweets. She said the PDP was hopeful that such a meeting would be called and her party would share its opinion with other parties in order to build a consensus on the issue. “We are still hopeful about that meet and would share our opinion with all the parties so that a consensus is built,” she added. Mehbooba Mufti’s tweets came a little over an hour after PDP’s arch rival National Conference announced it will not participate in these elections in view of the prevailing situation in the valley caused by the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution. The PDP prseident also tweeted that the Centre’s plea in the apex court to link Article 35A with panchayat and local body polls was a “disastrous” idea. “The central government’s plea in Supreme Court to link decision on 35A with panchayat and urban bodies elections, was a disastrous idea, which has further alienated the people and complicated the situation on ground,” she said.