ECI confirms J&K Assembly polls soon

Srinagar, Aug 9: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar Friday said that the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held at the earliest.

Addressing a news conference in Jammu, the CEC said that the dates for the elections would be announced after holding a comprehensive security review in Delhi.

He said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was committed to holding Assembly elections as soon as possible.

CEC Kumar was accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

The CEC said that the Parliament passed the J&K Reorganisation Act in December 2023 and there was no possibility of holding the Assembly elections in J&K before that.

“The people of J&K have demonstrated their faith in democracy through their participation in the Lok Sabha polls, and it is now time to give them the opportunity to elect their own government,” he said.

Kumar commended the people of J&K for high voter turnout during the Lok Sabha elections.

He said it was a significant milestone in J&K’s democratic journey.

The CEC said that the ECI was determined to hold Assembly elections in J&K despite any external or internal challenges.

“This is the appropriate time for holding Assembly elections in J&K and no force can prevent us from holding elections here. We are committed to this process,” he said.

The ECI team arrived in Srinagar on Thursday on a two-day visit to assess the ground situation before announcing the dates for the Assembly elections.

On Thursday, the ECI team held interactions with the representatives of nine national and regional political parties at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar which was followed by a detailed review meeting with civil administration and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of all Police districts.

On Friday, the ECI team arrived in Jammu to hold a meeting with the civil administration and Police and later addressed the media before leaving for New Delhi.

CEC Kumar said all the parties expressed their appreciation for the peaceful conduct of Lok Sabha elections and unanimously called for holding early Assembly elections.

“Their demands included a level playing field, adequate security for political activities, and the assurance that polling stations will be within a 2 km radius for the voters, with no last-minute changes in their locations,” he said.

The CEC said that all the polling stations except in shadow areas would get 100 percent CCTV coverage.

“Instructions have been passed to the concerned quarters to provide adequate security cover to all political parties to ensure a level playing field for everyone. There will be no last-minute clubbing of polling stations,” he said.

CEC Kumar said that the permission for organising political rallies would be managed through an online system on a first-applied-first-granted basis.

He said that the commission had instructed local authorities, including Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and SSPs to maintain high standards in election management.

Giving further details, the CEC presented figures saying that J&K would have 90 Assembly constituencies, comprising 74 general, nine Scheduled Tribe (ST), and seven Scheduled Caste (SC) seats with an electorate of 87.09 lakh.

“The region will have around 11,800 polling stations spread across 9100 locations. ECI is committed to ensuring that voter-friendly facilities will be provided at all these polling stations,” he said.

CEC Kumar said that special provisions would be made for senior citizens, including home voting options for those above 85 years of age.

“Those who will prefer to vote at polling stations will be accommodated,” he said.

The CEC also highlighted improvements for migrant voters, promising better facilities for the voters outside J&K.

“We have removed the cumbersome process for the migrant voters and will ensure better facilities for outside J&K this time,” he said.

However, CEC Kumar expressed concern over the rising cases of drug abuse among J&K's youth and said that strict measures would be enforced to curb this issue once the Model Code of Conduct is in place.

“Misuse of drugs in J&K is a major concern, as an entire generation cannot be allowed to ruin their future. We are going to be extremely serious regarding this issue and I am being told action has already begun in this regard,” he said.

The CEC said that the final electoral rolls would be published on August 30, 2024, and would mark the first step towards Assembly elections in J&K.

“The Amarnath Yatra will culminate on August 30 following which the final electoral rolls will be published and free copies will be given to all the political parties,” he said.

The CEC said that the security forces were capable of dealing with the situation and nobody would be allowed to derail the election process in J&K.

“There are a few security challenges as per the feedback we got from the security heads, officers from the civil administration, and the district Police chiefs. But the officers are ready to conduct the Assembly elections in a peaceful environment in J&K,” he said.

CEC Kumar said that the people of J&K were eagerly waiting for the Assembly elections, which is a positive challenge for them.

“We are committed to holding Assembly elections and our focus is to convert the image, created by people by participating enthusiastically in Lok Sabha polls, into a reality,” he said.