KHARTOUM, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday criticized a decision by its main partner in the government, Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), to boycott the country's general elections in the northern states.

The NCP "regrets this decision by the SPLM, and urges the movement to immediately reconsider it," senior NCP official Ibrahim Ghandour told Xinhua on Tuesday, terming the move as " unjustified."

Earlier on Tuesday, the SPLM said it will pull out of the elections in the north, except in the states of South Kurdufan and Blue Nile, two strongholds of the movement in the north, over " ballot rigging" measures by the ruling party.

"The SPLM seems to reel under internal division which triggered unreasonable and unjustified decisions," Ghandour, who is in charge of the elections file, said.

He also dismissed the poll rigging claims, saying "the elections have not kicked off yet."

"If the SPLM boycotts the elections due to rigging in the north, it still runs in the same elections in the south," he added.

"The SPLM is seemingly acting like a southern party that is only concerned with the south," he said, slamming the movement, which he says, "is acting as if it draws up the scheme of the separation of south Sudan."

Ghandour also stressed that the elections will take place on time set by the country's National Elections Commission (NEC).

"The elections will not be disrupted by the boycott of any political party, and no one can question their credibility," he added.

Sudan will hold its first multi-party elections in 24 years, a main landmark achievement of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement ( CPA) signed between the NCP and SPLM in 2005 to end a 20-year-long conflict between the north and south.