Decision on Jammu and Kashmir local body elections to be taken by governor in today's State Advisory Council

The Jammu and Kashmir municipal body elections, which were scheduled to be held in the first week of October, are likely to be deferred, sources have said. A formal decision is likely to be taken by the State Advisory Council (SAC) headed by Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_5167831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. AFP[/caption] The elections for urban local bodies will be deferred to January, sources were quoted as saying by NDTV. No changes have been made in the Panchayat election schedule, which is to be held in November and December, India Today reported. The move comes as major political parties in the state, such as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference,  have announced their boycott of the local polls . PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that that linking panchayat polls to the pending case in the Supreme Court on Article 35A has created apprehensions in minds of people. Mufti said that the ground situation is not conducive for panchayat polls and the PDP, therefore, urges the government to review its decision to hold polls at this juncture. Referring to the panchayat polls, Mufti further added that looking at the situation, PDP has decided to ‘stay away from the process’. According to NDTV, the Centre wants to give time to the mainstream parties to review their decision to boycott the elections, a move which is seen as defeating the very purpose of holding the elections. The boycott is seen as a watershed development in the state’s political landscape because it is the first time when the two parties have found a common cause. The Bharatiya Janata Party has said that it will contest these elections and termed the National Conference and the PDP as opportunistic parties for boycotting polls. BJP general secretary and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Ram Madhav, met with Malik on Tuesday and also held meetings with party office bearers in Srinagar.