ULB, panchayat polls as per schedule: Chief Secretary

Srinagar, Sep 12: Chief Secretary (CS), B V R Subramaniam, on Wednesday said the panchayat and municipal polls will be held as per the schedule notified by the government.
Governor, Satya Pal Malik, on August 1 announced that the municipal polls in the state would be conducted in four phases from October 1 and the panchayat polls in eight phases from November 8.
“The election dates have been announced. There will be no change in the election dates,” Subramanyam told media persons in a function organized by Income Tax department at SK Internal Conference Centre (SKICC).
He said there were “adequate security arrangements” in place for the polls.
“Administration has made a foolproof arrangement for the polls. Administration is regularly monitoring the security scenario to ensure that the elections are conducted in a favourable atmosphere,” he said.
Earlier, a New Delhi-based channel had, quoting sources, said that the polls were likely to be deferred in view of the boycott announced by the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The NC was the first political party to announce the poll boycott, followed by the PDP.
The political parties have been saying that New Delhi has failed to clear its stand on Article 35 – A—the under-trial constitutional provision granting special status to the state.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has also shown reluctance to participate in the polls.