Srinagar, February 21: The postponement of panchayat elections in Jammu & Kashmir, which were scheduled to be held in phases from March 5 to March 20, is linked to the upcoming visit of United States President Donald Trump. Officials of the Election Commission - the nodal polling body in India - said the notifications of the panchayat polls and the date of candidature filings coincided with the dates when the American head of state would be on Indian soil.

The Indian agencies apprehended a militant attack on candidates participating in the polls, reports citing the EC officials said. With the US President in India, an attack of such a kind would had come as an embarrassment amid Modi's claim of normalcy in Kashmir. Jammu & Kashmir Panchayat Polls Postponed, Election Commission Cites 'Inputs From Law Enforcement Agencies'

Apart from a militant attack, a possible en masse boycott of polls would had furthered India's embarrassment. While the date of polling - as per the now scrapped notification - did not coincide with Trump's visit, the date of candidature filing. The lack of participation from the National Conference, People's Democratic Party, Congress and CPI(M) would had signalled the lack of electoral participation in the conflict-ridden state.

"The dates coincided with the US President’s visit and there were fears of violence," an EC official told HT, adding there were apprehensions that the Kashmir issue would had once skyrocketed in the international media if a militant attack on any of the candidates was carried out amid Trump's visit.

The notification released by the EC earlier this month allowed candidates to file their nominations for the phase 1 of panchayat elections from February 22 to February 23. The candidatures were to be scrutinised on February 24, and the last date for withdrawal was fixed as February 26. Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24-25.

The panchayat polls were deferred on Tuesday, with the Electoral Office in Jammu issuing a statement, claiming that the postponement is triggered due to the inputs received from "law enforcement agencies". On the same day, a delegation of NC and PDP - the top two Valley parties - met the EC officials and conveyed their inability to participate in the polls as their top rung leaders are still under detention.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 21, 2020 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).