ECI engages with J&K stakeholders

Srinagar, Aug 8: The Election Commission of India (ECI) headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar arrived in Kashmir on Thursday morning to review the poll preparedness for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The ECI team including CEC Rajiv Kumar and two Election Commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were received by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang Kundbarao Pole and Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri.

The ECI team, which is on its two-day visit to J&K, arrived at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), Srinagar, on Thursday and started interaction with the representatives of the various national and regional political parties.

The leaders from the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), CPI (M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Aam Aadmi Party held interactions with the ECI team.

The NC leaders who met the ECI team include NC Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, Sakina Itoo, Showkat Ahmad Mir, Peer Afaq Ahmad, and Shami Oberoi.

From PDP, Ghulam Nabi Lone (Hanjura), Asiya Naqash, Abdul Hameed Kosheen, and Suhail Bukhari also met the ECI team.

The ECI team arrived in J&K for a two-day visit to assess the ground situation before announcing the Assembly elections.

As per the political leaders who met the ECI team, all of them demanded that Assembly elections should be held in J&K without further delay.

Notably, the Supreme Court while delivering a verdict on Article 370 case on December 11, 2023, directed the ECI to take steps and conduct assembly polls in J&K by September 30, 2024.

Talking to reporters after meeting the ECI team, NC leader Nasir Aslam Wani said that they put forth only one demand of holding the Assembly elections in J&K so that people can have their own government.

“We met the ECI several times when they visited here, and each time we told them that it was enough now as it has been 10 years since Assembly elections were held here,” he said.

Wani said that since 2018, the people of J&K have not been given the opportunity to have their own elected government.

“There is no reason to delay it further. Recently, Lok Sabha elections were held, and there is no reason why Assembly elections cannot be conducted now. This time we are hopeful because the ECI’s attitude seemed positive. They assured us. So, it seems like Assembly elections will take place,” he told reporters here.

Senior BJP leader Ranbir Singh Pathania who also met the ECI team at SKICC said that the BJP delegation had a detailed discussion with the ECI team and the demand of the party was to hold Assembly elections in J&K as soon as possible.

“The Government of India has given a commitment to the Supreme Court, and according to that commitment, the Assembly elections should be concluded before September 30, 2024. If the commitment gets fulfilled people will have an elected government which can address the demands of the people,” he said.

Pathani said that the BJP was expecting a higher voter turnout than in the Lok Sabha elections held in J&K recently.

“The security situation in Kashmir after August 5, 2019, is better than before, development is better, and the Government of India’s support is stronger. Now, if this support is placed in the hands of elected representatives, it will further benefit the people and reach the grassroots level," he said.

Pathania said that the BJP was hopeful that elections would be held since the Supreme Court had set a deadline for the government.

“We told the ECI team that all parties are ready and elections should be held at any cost. There should be no further delay,” he said.

Harsh’s Panthers Party (HPP) chief Harsh Dev Singh said that five years ago when the parliamentary elections were held, all the opposition parties were in support of holding Assembly elections.

“But only the BJP did not support holding Assembly elections at that time. When the Election Commission returned to Delhi, they announced that Assembly elections will not be held," he said.

Singh said that the ECI team which had again arrived in J&K to assess the ground situation should consider their demand to hold Assembly elections without any delay.

“As representatives of the people, we would say that the public wants elections to be held immediately without any delay and before the deadline set by the Supreme Court of India,” he said.

Singh said that the people of J&K were treated like insects and there was no one to listen to them.

“People of J&K are being denied their democratic rights, which is completely wrong and unconstitutional,” he said.

Senior PDP leader Asiya Naqash after meeting the ECI team said that they had pressed for early Assembly polls as per the deadline set by the Supreme Court of India.

“Today, we told the ECI team that the Supreme Court has set a deadline and that deadline should be met,” she said.

Naqash said that when the ECI team was in J&K last time to assess the situation for Parliamentary polls, they were asked to hold Assembly elections.

“We reminded the team that today,” she said.

Naqash said that considering the SC deadline to hold Assembly elections by September of 2024, the visit of the ECI team on August 8 is already late.

“Now that the team has come, we hope that they will announce the elections soon,” she said.

All the political leaders expressed their satisfaction over their interaction with the ECI delegation on holding Assembly polls.

“The ECI team listened to the demands of the political leaders,” a senior political leader said.

On Friday, the ECI team would leave for Jammu to hold meetings with the civil and Police administration.

The team would also address the media before leaving for New Delhi in the evening.