JAMMU, Aug 22 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Saturday dismissed the BJP's charge that the National Conference-led administration was stalling Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) elections, while insisting that statehood must be restored before any meaningful grassroots polls can be held.
"Today, this is the Omar Abdullah government, but we do not have the police, nor do we have our own IPS or IAS cadre. So what kind of government is this?" Choudhary told reporters as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) after conducting surprise inspection to hospitals.
He said the NC government would not want PRI elections to be held only for the elected representatives "to later be ignored, denied respect and not even recognised by the officers."
The Deputy Chief Minister was responding to a question on the BJP's accusation that the government was deliberately delaying elections to panchayats and urban local bodies.
Deputy CM as per KNS questioned the efficacy of holding symbolic polls under the existing Union Territory arrangement, where the elected executive has no control over the police or the all-India services.
"Today, if we make someone a sarpanch or a DDC (district development council) member, would the officers actually listen to them? What is the point of holding such elections?" he asked.
He asserted that people wanted genuine elections, not merely symbolic exercises.
Earlier, the government had stated that the process for holding local body polls was underway and would be conducted after completion of administrative formalities, including voter lists, reservations, and delimitation.
The tenure of panchayats ended in January 2024, while that of DDCs is set to expire in February 2026.
Notably, The State Election Commission has previously informed the government that a decision on holding the polls must be taken by the end of August to conduct them within the current calendar year. (KNS)