NC, Cong MLCs stage walkout over separate poll body issue

Opposition National Conference and Congress today raised the issue of setting up a state election commission in Jammu and Kashmir and staged a walkout from the Legislative Council alleging the government failed to give a satisfactory answer to their queries.

As soon as the House assembled, Congress member Ghulam Nabi Monga raised the issue of issuance of an ordinance according powers to the State Chief Electoral Officer for delimitation and conducting panchayat polls instead of setting up a "separate" election commission for civic polls.

He was supported by other members of Congress and National Conference who asked the government why the state election commission was no set up under the relevant act. "We want a separate election commission. The issuance of ordinance is illegal and will only discredit the whole process," Monga said.

Amid noisy scenes, the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Abdul Haq Khan, told the House that the poll body cannot be setup in "such a situation. That's why government was compelled to bring in an ordinance for holding panchayat polls".