CEC Rajiv Kumar: J-K Assembly elections to be held soon after Lok Sabha polls

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday (March 16) that the Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir will take place after the Lok Sabha polls. This decision has been made due to security concerns, as organising both simultaneously is deemed impractical.

The Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 and the results will be announced on June 4.

Asked why Assembly polls are not being held in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha election, the CEC said forces have to be provided to every candidate in the Union Territory, which is not possible at a time when elections are being held across the country.

He also said the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was amended in December 2023 after a delimitation exercise and the clock had started ticking for the Election Commission (EC) since then.

"The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed in 2019. There was a provision for 107 seats, 24 of which were in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Then the delimitation commission came and there was a change in the seats.... The reorganisation Act and delimitation were not in sync. That happened in December 2023. So our meter started running from December 2023," Kumar said.

"All parties in Jammu and Kashmir said the Assembly election should be held with the parliamentary polls, but the entire administrative machinery said it cannot be done simultaneously. Every Assembly segment would have 10-12 candidates, which would mean more than 1,000 candidates. Every candidate has to be provided forces. It was not possible at this time," the CEC added.

"But we stand committed that as soon as these elections are over, we will hold elections there," he asserted.

(With agency inputs)