Incidents of violence down in Kashmir: Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Sunday incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir have gone down and asserted that security forces were fully prepared to get the urban local body (ULB) polls conducted in the state.

Elections to ULBs in Jammu and Kashmir will start from Monday and be held in four phases.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event of the Central Reserve Police Force here, Singh said security forces have given a "befitting reply" to militants in the Kashmir valley.

Incidents of violence have come down in the recent past, he said.

When asked about the overall security situation in the state, the minister said the forces were vigilant.

Singh also said Pakistan was not mending its ways, indicating that the neighbouring country was fuelling infiltration and militancy activities in Kashmir.

The polls will see a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress, with major regional political parties the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boycotting the election over the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court.

(PTI)