<span style="color: #222222;">National Conference, one of the main political parties in J&K, has expressed willingness to participate in next month's Panchayat polls but wants roadblocks placed in its way to be removed so that it can campaign freely. The party, which had stayed away from the 2018 Panchayat polls, said the detention of its top leaders including its president Farooq Abdullah, Vice President Omar Abdullah, General Secretary Ali Mohammed Sagar under Public Safety Act will hamper the process of candidate selection and campaign and it is practically impossible for the party to participate in the election when its top leaders are in detention.<br />'' <br />''It has expressed its willingness to take part in the poll process this time as the election will be held on party lines. In a letter to Chief Electoral Officer, Shailendra Kumar, National Conference Central secretary Rattan Lal Gupta said the party is a strong votary of democratic process and wishes to participate in the eight phase elections starting March 5 in over 11,000 seats. A copy of the letter has been marked to the Chief Election Commissioner.<br />'' <br />''The elections to local bodies, the first democratic exercise after Jammu and Kashmir became a union territory last year, will be contested on party lines unlike the last polls in 2018 when it was contested on non-party lines. The elections would be held for electing 1,011 Sarpanch and 11,639 Panch across the Union Territory, excluding some snow bound areas, for which the schedule would be announced later.</span><br />