People's Conference to boycott JK polls

{image-Jammu+kashmir-map_26102008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Srinagar, Oct 26: Jammu Kashmir People's Conference has launched a mass programme calling for boycott of forthcoming elections in the state. Peoples' Conference party leader Sajad Gani Lone said his party's village-level units would campaign for poll boycott.

"We have launched a programme to boycott elections. People Conference is a cadre-based party. We have passed a resolution that all our village-level units will work as anti-election boycott units till the elections. We will run boycott campaigns in their respected villages," said Lone. The All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference has called for a complete boycott of the elections scheduled to be held in seven phases.

Meanwhile, Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), which partnered the Congress in ruling the state till the government fell in July over a land transfer row demanded that the state should never be put under Central administration.

"The Government has to find some modus operandi to make sure that Article 356 is not implemented in state of Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, the Governor should not have powers to dismiss and dissolve the Assembly," said Mufti Mohammed Syed, former Chief Minister and patron of PDP. The elections will be held in seven phases and first phase will begin on Nov 17.

The second phase of elections will be held on November 23 and third phase will take place on November 30. The fourth phase of polling will take place on December 7 while the fifth, sixth and seventh phases will be held on Dec 13, 17 and 24 respectively.

Counting of votes will be held on December 28.

There are 8, 109 polling stations in the state.

ANI