"Not a bird was harmed" and the civic elections were conducted peacefully, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said Tuesday.
Malik, in an exclusive interview to PTI soon after the conclusion of the urban local body polls' final phase, also said the NC and the PDP should not have boycotted it and asserted that articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution were non-issues in this election.
The National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had announced they would not contest the polls over the legal challenge to the articles.
Expressing satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the polls, Malik said, "It (the response) has been very good. The four-phased elections has been concluded and not a bird was harmed, it was a peaceful election."