Former J&K Chief Ministers, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday, accused the BJP of “deliberately deferring” polls for urban local bodies and panchayat, whose terms end this year in the Union Territory (UT).
Ms. Mufti, president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), termed the BJP’s stand over holding polls in J&K contradictory. “In the Supreme Court, they (the BJP) claim the situation has improved in J&K after abrogation of Article 370, and people are happy. At the same time, the government now says that the security situation is not right in J&K and the elections cannot be conducted,” Ms. Mufti said.
Ms. Mufti’s remarks came two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met BJP leaders from J&K in New Delhi. Later, several BJP leaders hinted at the delay in urban local bodies elections in J&K “in the wake of threats posed by militants to attack the voters”. Mr. Shah reportedly directed the party’s core group of J&K to focus on Lok Sabha polls, scheduled for 2024.
