ECI team arrives in Jammu to take Assembly Poll review, meet political parties
Jammu, Aug 9 :
Asserting that the situation is conducive in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar on Friday said that the time is ripe to hold Assembly elections and disruptive forces will not be allowed to derail the process.
“The dates for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be announced after taking a final review on returning to the capital but as per our two-day visit here, we have assessed that the situation is ripe to hold elections,” the CEC told reporters at a press conference here.
He was flanked by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu and other senior officers from Jammu and Kashmir.
The CEC also assured that no force or element will be allowed to derail the election process as directions are issued during a security review meeting.
“We don’t want to see a “Chicken and Egg” situation in J&K in the wake of some terror attacks in the Jammu region,” he said adding that security forces are capable of dealing with the situation.
“We will conduct a final security requirement assessment in Delhi and announce the final dates for polls accordingly,” the CEC said.
The CEC added that all political parties, who met them in Srinagar on Thursday were on the same page for early conduct of the Assembly Polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Though there are a few security challenges our security forces are ready for the peaceful conduct of elections in J&K,” said the CEC.
Replying to a query that there was a Supreme Court deadline of September for holding polls in J&K, the CEC said, “No internal or external force can delay polls and people of J&K will give a befitting response to disruptive forces.”
The CEC stated that during the review for Assembly Polls in Jammu and Kashmir with Administrative and Security Agencies, directions have also been issued like check on misuse of drugs, vigil on liquor trade, 100 percent installation of CCTVs based on the request of the political parties and to cover at par to all political parties representatives to be given after a review.
wrapping its day-long visit to Srinagar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday ahead of the September deadline set up by the Supreme Court for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
The ECI team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu, arrived here for comprehensive discussions and review for the upcoming Assembly elections.
On December 11, 2023, while upholding the abrogation of the special status granted to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir,
Time ripe to hold
the Supreme Court directed the poll panel to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30.
The last Assembly election in the erstwhile state was held in 2014.
The CEC Kumar, along with the Election Commissioners, is scheduled to meet representatives of the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir at the Hotel Radisson, where they will also brief the media on their purposeful visit.
The political parties have been demanding the conduct of the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir with the restoration of statehood, which was abolished with the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
