Srinagar, September 5: National Conference (NC) has decided to boycott panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir unless the Centre and the state government clears its position on Article 35 A. The NC chief and Member of Parliament, Farooq Abdullah said, "J&K National Conference will not participate in these elections (panchayat), unless and until the Government of India and the state government clears its position in this regard (35 A) and takes effective steps for the protection of Article 35 A in & inside the court."

The polls will be conducted from November 8 to December 4. The State Administrative Council (SAC) on Friday released a schedule for the municipal and panchayat elections in the state. On Saturday, Abdullah said that steps should be taken to win the hearts of the people.

The NC president also said that the upcoming local bodies and panchayat polls were for the betterment of the people of the state. "The government has announced panchayat and town area committee elections. This is not a decision for India or Pakistan. This is a decision for making your own life better - whether you want to make your village better, address peoples' problems or not.”

He had also asked people to come out and cast their vote in the upcoming polls. He said,  "Many outfits will try to not have these elections because their livelihood comes from our miseries. You see, hotels and houseboats are empty. Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg are crying, and traders are crying. There is nothing. For how long we will have to suffer. The last panchayat elections in the state were conducted in 2011. Although fresh polls were to be conducted in 2016, the disturbed condition of the state, prevented the government from holding the elections to the local bodies.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2018 02:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).