J&K Assembly elections: 2350 permission given to political parties, candidates

Jammu, Sep 10: Upholding the Democratic Principles of Free, Fair and Transparent Elections for the forth coming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election, 73.94% permission requests from the political parties and contesting candidates have been accepted since the electoral process commenced in the Union Territory, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K said on Tuesday.

A total of 3178 cases of permission requests were received for General Elections to Legislative Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir by various competent authorities, an official statement said, adding that out of these, 2350 permission requests which were completed in all respects were accepted by the Competent Authorities.

Further, 336 requests which were lacking in fulfillment of requisite formalities were rejected, while 241 requests are still under process at the level of various competent authorities to issue the permissions.

“As many as 158 requests are still pending at various levels for want of NOCs etc, while 93 requests were cancelled on the basis of insufficient/incomplete formalities submitted by the applicants in spite of ample time given to them to submit the same,” it said.

Detailing the permissions, the statement said that 217 applications were accepted for door to door canvassing, 28 for Helicopter and Helipad, 33 for Loudspeaker permit, 54 for opening of Temporary Party Office, 20 for pamphlet distribution, 1 for permission of video van (DEO Level), 437 for permission to hold meeting and Loud Speaker, 278 for permission to hold meeting without Loud Speaker, 111 for Permit for Street Corner Meeting and Loud Speaker, 66 for Permit to take out Procession and Loud Speaker, 304 for Rally, 88 for displaying banner and flags, 73 for displaying Poster, Hoarding and Unipole, 79 for Vehicle Permit, 32 for Vehicle Permit (Intra District), and 426 for vehicle with loudspeaker permit.

Additionally, 21 permissions were given for One vehicle for complete assembly area for the candidate, 11 seeking One vehicle for complete assembly area for the candidate election agent, and 6 seeking One vehicle per assembly segment for the party/party worker.

Also, 15 applications seeking Vehicle for star campaigners and party office bearers were accepted, along with 10 Vehicle Permission for transport of campaigning/publicity material by recognized political party and 40 Vehicle Permission for within AC.

Further, Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, Pandurang K Pole has urged upon the candidates and political parties participating in the Assembly Elections to utilize the ‘Suvidha’ application and platform, designed to streamline the application process for various permissions required during election campaigns.

The portal serves as a one-stop solution, empowering the candidates and political parties to apply for and obtain permissions efficiently and conveniently. With a user-friendly interface and robust features, the App simplifies the process, ensuring that all necessary permissions are acquired in a timely manner, thereby enabling seamless campaign activities.

For further information, the candidates and political parties can visit the portal at https://suvidha.eci.gov.in, the statement said.