Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Ahead of the eight-phase election to 20 district development councils (DDCs) in Jammu and Kashmir, there has been a mixed reaction from various political leaders in the Union Territory.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, the Anantnag district president of the Apni Party, Abdul Rahim Rather, said he was not ready for the elections.
He said many political leaders were still imprisoned up until recently, and it was not right to hold such elections yet.
"But now that the elections have been forced on us, we have to come out on the field. If we step back, there will be elements working against the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
Meanwhile, senior PDP leader Ab Salam Reshi criticised the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an alliance of several parties in Jammu and Kashmir that is seeking the restoration of the erstwhile state's special status, which was revoked by the Centre in August last year.
Reshi said the alliance existed only for name-sake, and that it had no real effect on the ground level.
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The Jammu and Kashmir poll panel announced an eight-phase election to 20 district development councils (DDCs) in the Union Territory from November 28 to December 22.
This will be the first major electoral exercise in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the erstwhile state, in August last year.
On August 4 last year, a day before abrogation of Article 370 was announced, political parties in Kashmir, except the BJP, met at Farooq Abdullah's residence on Gupkar Road in Srinagar. They had also issued a joint statement defending Article 370.
The constituents of the conglomerate besides the NC and the PDP also include the CPI-M, the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference and the Awami National Conference.
Abdullah is the PAGD's chairperson and PDP chief Mehbooba its vice-chairperson. Veteran CPI-M leader M Y Tarigami is the alliance's convenor while People's Conference leader Sajjad Gani Lone is its spokesperson.
Read: JK: Interview with NC General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar
