LIVE | 3-phase Assembly elections in J&K on Sept 18, 25, Oct 1; Haryana to vote on Oct 1; counting on Oct 4
There is a lot of eagerness among J&K voters to participate in the elections, says Rajiv Kumar
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday (August 16) announced the dates for elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.
Elections will be held in three phases in J&K, on September 18, September 25 and October 1. Haryana will vote in one phase, on October 1.
Votes will be counted for both the states on October 4.
The dates for Maharashtra Assembly elections, which will also be held before the year-end, were not announced today.
The terms of the legislative Assemblies of Haryana and Maharashtra end on November 3 and November 26, respectively. The Supreme Court has set a September 30 deadline for Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
The EC visited Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana recently to oversee the poll preparedness but is yet to visit Maharashtra.
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah has welcomed the Election Commission’s announcement of a three-phased assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir and said it was better late than never.
"Some time back, the ECI announced the schedule for assembly elections in J-K. People of J-K were waiting for this day for a long time. It is better late than never," Abdullah told reporters.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said it is perhaps for the first time after the 1987-88 polls, that the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held in a short time and in just few phases.
"It obviously will be a new experiment for the political parties. But as far as our party is concerned, the NC was prepared for this day and will soon start the electioneering," he added.
Abdullah said Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has made a thrust on conducting free and fair polls in Jammu and Kashmir and called on the poll body to take notice of the massive transfers in the police and civil administration in the Union Territory in the last 24 hours.
"We have doubts that this government is helping the BJP and its B, C and D teams. The ECI should immediately take notice and examine them and stop those transfers which are outside their guidelines," he said.
Rajiv Kumar justified not announcing the poll schedule by Maharashtra, attributing it to inadequate availability of security forces due to their deployment for the J&K polls.
The CEC said that in 2019, when elections were held simultaneously for Maharashtra and Haryana, the Assembly election in J&K "was not a factor".
Since the EC had to keep the Supreme Court's deadline of September 30 for the J&K election, the Commission will first conduct polls in J&K, where a huge deployment of forces for the polls and the ongoing Amarnath Yatra is needed, and in Haryana. The CEC has hinted that the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly polls may be held simultaneously later this year.
Likewise, byelections for 46 assembly constituencies and the Wayanad parliamentary constituency will be held later. The Commission said that as Wayanad is still recovering from the landslide tragedy and states such as Bihar and Assam, where several assembly bypolls are due, are grappling with flood-like situations, the bypolls are not being held along with the J&K and Haryana Assembly polls.
Bypolls to 46 assembly seats will also be announced in due course: CEC Rajiv Kumar.
Bypoll in Wayanad parliamentary seat cannot be held right now due to natural disaster there, polling will happen on time, says CEC Rajiv Kumar.
Meanwhile, Priyanka (in picture) is the Congress candidate in Wayanad
J&K elections will be held in 3 phases, says Rajiv Kumar - September 18, 25, and October 1.
Haryana will vote on October 1.
The results will be announced on October 4.
There won't be any discrimination when it comes to providing security to candidates in the J&K election, says Rajiv Kumar.
Rajiv Kumar said the EC has held meetings with political parties in J&K as part of the preparations.
The UT will see 3.7 lakh first-time voters this time, he added.