Congress demands security for its leaders ahead of DDC polls in J&K

The Congress raised the issue of safety concerns of its leaders with the election authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday and said they should be given the basic minimum security ahead of the upcoming DDC polls in the Union Territory.

The Jammu and Kashmir poll panel announced an eight-phase election to 20 district development councils (DDCs) in the Union Territory from November 28 to December 22. This will be the first major electoral exercise in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the erstwhile state, in August last year.

"We had come to request the Election Commission about the basic minimum security to be provided to our leaders. We have raised the security concerns with the poll panel," chief spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress Ravinder Sharma said.

He said very little security is provided to opposition leaders as compared to the leaders of the ruling party.

"The poll panel told us that it is being looked into and we hope that it will be acted upon," Sharma said.