Assembly elections: Election Commission team visits Valley to review preparedness

Adil Akhzer

Srinagar, August 8

The Election Commission of India (ECI), headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, reached Srinagar on Thursday to review preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Political parties met the Election Commission and demanded that Assembly elections be held at the earliest in the UT.

The ECI team, which reached here in the morning, met representatives of various political leaders. It later held meetings with key officers from the administration and security to get feedback about the situation in the UT.

The visit underscores the ECI’s commitment to facilitating a seamless and transparent electoral process in the region, said an official statement by the J&K administration.

‘No government since 2018’

• Nasir Aslam Wani, National Conference provincial president, said they told the Election Commission that there had been no government here since 2018.
• The EC team, which reached here in the morning, met representatives of various political leaders. It later held meetings with key officers from the administration and security to get feedback about the situation in the UT.

The Supreme Court last year had directed the ECI to hold the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30.

“A delegation of the ECI, led by CEC Rajiv Kumar and ECs Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu, reached Srinagar today to review poll preparedness,” the Election Commission of India posted on X.

The leaders demanded early Assembly elections in the UT, which is without an elected government since 2018. The leader also asked for a level playing field in the poll.

The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference said the party’s five-member team met ECI members and put forth the demand for the restoration of the electoral process as per the Supreme Court order.

“We told the Election Commission that there has been no government since 2018. Assembly elections have not been conducted here for the past 10 years. We need representatives to address political, development, and security issues. We asked for a level-playing field and unbiased decisions,” said National Conference provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani.

Ghulam Nabi Monga, a senior leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party called for elections without any delay so that democracy flourishes.

Avtar Singh, a senior BJP leader, said a delegation of five senior leaders met the ECI. The party emphasized that elections should be held before September in UT.

Peoples Democratic Party leader Khurshid Alam, while talking to the media, said the delegation effectively put the demands of people of Jammu and Kashmir before the ECI.

“We told them the parliamentary elections were held peacefully. Amarnath Yatra also remained peaceful. Now what is stopping them from holding elections,” he said. “There should be no reason to say no to the elections in Jammu and Kashmir.”

Government sources, meanwhile, told The Tribune that during the meeting with the J&K administration, the commission emphasised for free and fair elections.

“The team asked the officials to focus on increasing voting percentage in the upcoming elections,” said sources, adding that it was also told to “provide better training to polling staff”.

Sources said the ECI team would leave for Jammu on Friday. A senior official said the ECI was expected to hold a press conference in Jammu, besides a meeting with security agencies.