Jammu and Kashmir assembly and LS polls likely to be held together: Report
Leaders of political parties also met the visiting ECI team to pitch for holding both polls simultaneously. ECI is also concerned about SC's deadline to hold the state election by September 30, 2024
The Election Commission of India (ECI) seems to be seriously contemplating holding the long-awaited Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections along with the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Jammu and Kashmir have been without an elected government since June 2018 and the ECI is also concerned that it has to abide by the Supreme Court's December 11 order directing them to hold elections in the state by September 30, 2024.
ECI team meets political leaders
The ECI team, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, is on a three-day visit to the Union Territory. They met representatives from different political parties, who made a strong pitch to the EC to hold the assembly polls simultaneously along with the LS elections. The BJP too is willing to have both the polls together at the same time, said reports.
The EC team held meetings with National Conference, PDP, Congress, CPI (M) and AAP leaders. The political leaders told the media after the meeting that they pointed out how the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been deprived of their rights. Nasir Aslam Wani told the media that they persuaded the Election Commission of the necessity of holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir concurrently with the Lok Sabha elections.
“We told the commission that it has been 10 years that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been deprived of their democratic rights. The commission gave us a patient hearing,” Wani told PTI.
Moreover, holding two elections separately would disturb the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
Poll ready?
Meanwhile, the ECI team spoke to civil administration officials and questioned them about their preparations for the upcoming elections and the possibility of holding polls together, according to sources.
Discussions were held on creating awareness initiatives in academic settings, addressing issues of logistics, such as connectivity issues at polling stations, to organise transport for electoral equipment and polling personnel, said reports.
The ECI team also seem to have met top police officers and questioned them about the security scenario on the ground, and the kind of requirement needed for paramilitary troops for both polls.
President's rule
J&K has not had an elected government since 2018, with the last Assembly elections held in 2014. After which, the People’s Democratic Party-BJP coalition formed the state government in March 2015 but the partnership failed and the government fell on June 19, 2018.
Shortly after Mehbooba Mufti staked her claim to form a government with backing of Congress and the National Conference, governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the J&K Legislative Assembly on November 28, 2018,
Jammu and Kashmir has been under the President’s rule for the last five years.
Polls not held so far
Meanwhile, the delimitation exercise dragged on and was completed in May 2023. The constituencies have been redrawn and the new Assembly now has 114 seats.
Twenty-four seats were assigned to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). During the assembly elections, voting will take place for 90 seats - 43 in the Jammu region and 47 seats in the Kashmir Valley.
According to a news report, the administration felt that taking into account the SC decision, the only feasible window to hold the assembly elections is during the Lok Sabha polls.
