Assembly Elections in J-K soon? EC team meets political parties in Srinagar today

A team of the Election Commission of India reviewed on August 8 the preparedness for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and took feedback from political parties.

The team led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar arrived in Srinagar to meet with representatives of political parties at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). The office of the chief electoral officer, Jammu and Kashmir, had on Tuesday issued letters to various political parties, inviting them for a meeting with the ECI.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under Central rule since June 19, 2018, following the collapse of a coalition government headed by the People’s Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti after the pullout of its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP). Manoj Sinha is the present Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of the UT.

Representatives of various political parties, including the National Conference (NC), People's Democratic Party (PDP), BJP, Congress, and Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party met the ECI team at the SKICC. J-K Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole also attended the meeting.

The ECI will review preparedness for Assembly polls, weeks before the Supreme Court's September 30 deadline for holding elections in the Union Territory, news agency PTI reported.

Last year, during a hearing on the Article 370 abrogation case, the Supreme Court directed the poll panel to hold assembly elections in the UT by September 30, 2024.

Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu accompany Kumar. The Commission will also review the preparations with election officers and police superintendents of all districts, as well as the chief secretary and the director general of police.

The three-day visit will culminate on August 10 at Jammu where the ECI will take a review meeting with enforcement agencies. It will also hold a press conference in Jammu to brief the media on the review process.

Earlier in March this year, Kumar – who was then the sole member of the three-member Commission to visit the Union Territory – had assured political parties and the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the poll panel would soon hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

After a record turnout in the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Kumar had said, "This active participation is a huge positive for Assembly elections to be held soon so that the democratic process continues to thrive in the Union Territory."

In addition to meeting the political parties, the Commission will review the situation with the chief electoral officer and the central forces coordinator.

(With PTI inputs)