Jammu: Asserting that coalition partners Congress and National Conference are on one page to set up fully empowered Panchayat Raj System in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress Sunday said the Block Development Council (BDC) polls in the state were deferred for a "short period" only.
"The BDC polls were deferred, for a short period only, to establish a fully empowered Panchayat Raj system in the state, on the pattern of 73rd amendment of the Constitution," JKPCC general secretary and MLA Ravinder Sharma told reporters here.
He said that the deferment of BDC polls for a short period, was thought advisable in the interest of Panchayat Raj system, in order to incorporate the best provision of the 73rd amendment in the State Panchayat Raj Act.
"The holding of polls for these bodies without necessary amendment incorporating further powers and due representation to the women and the deprived section of the society, would not have served the purpose of establishing fully empowered institutions of Panchayat Raj," Sharma said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, November 25, 2012, 19:40