J&K Parties Meet EC; Demand Simultaneous Lok Sabha, UT Assembly Elections
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s regional parties have, at their meetings with the Election Commission of India (ECI), demanded holding of simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the Union Territory (UT).
While the Congress and CPIM and some other national parties have endorsed their plea, the BJP has informed the ECI about its “preparedness” for the Lok Sabha and the Assembly as well the Panchayat elections in J&K. “The regional parties are trying to mislead the people by telling them that the BJP is not adequately prepared for the elections and, therefore, is shying away from the democratic process,” said party spokesman R.S. Pathania.
A 10-member ECI team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar which is on a three-day visit to Srinagar and Jammu on Tuesday began consultation with political parties in J&K as part of its review preparedness for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the UT.
The team held interactions with delegations from the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, BJP, CPI(M), Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party, officials said here.
NC’s provisional president who led his party’s delegation said that it told the poll panel that the last Assembly elections in J&K were held in 2014 but the house elected for six years was prematurely dissolved in November 2018 and the people have been deprived of their democratic right to elect a government since. “We told them that people fail to understand what the rationale is behind delaying the Assembly elections in J&K,” he said, adding “They gave us a patient hearing.”
NC vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah had earlier said that it would be an injustice to people if the Assembly elections in J&K are postponed. “We have only one demand to raise with them (ECI team) and that is the Assembly polls should be held along with the Lok Sabha elections,” he told reporters here.
PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura said, “We also told the commission that J&K has been without an elected government since 2018 (when the BJP pulled out of the coalition government with PDP) and urged it to hold the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously”. He added, “If the security situation with the Lok Sabha is good, then Assembly elections should be held too. It is now up to the ECI to take a call.”
BJP leaders who met the ECI told reporters here that their engagement with the poll panel “underscored the party's dedication to democratic principles and its determination to ensure transparent and fair elections in the region”. He also said, “If Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are held simultaneously in J&K, BJP will support it.”
In the evening, the ECI team held a detailed meeting with J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K. Pole for a detailed review of the election preparedness in the UT. The district election officers and superintendents of police and nodal officers and other officials also attended the meeting.
Mr. Pole said that comprehensive arrangements have been made towards ensuring smooth conduct of Lok Sabha polls in J&K. He said that following the recent revision of voter rolls the number of the electorate in the UT has risen to 86.39 lakh, including 2.31 lakh new voters, across 11,629 polling stations. He said that 629 new polling centres have been established to accommodate the growing voter base. Also, other required measures such as the provision of reserve Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines have been put in place to address any technical contingencies, he said, adding that the possibility of installing GPS devices on election vehicles is being explored and that would enable real-time tracking and monitoring of their movements besides enhancing logistical efficiency and ensuring the timely transportation of essential election equipment, including EVM machines.
J&K’s DGP Rashmi Ranjan Swain said that the police are fully prepared to ensure peaceful Lok Sabha elections. “We will ensure peaceful Lok Sabha polls in J&K. We will provide a safe and secure atmosphere to enthusiastic voters,” he asserted.
On Wednesday, the ECI team will hold similar interactions in Jammu. J&K Apni Party provincial president and former minister S. Manjit Singh said that his party will tell the ECI that the J&K Assembly elections should be held with that of the Lok Sabha. “The Assembly elections have been delayed for the last several years and the people have been deprived of an elected government in J&K which is completely undemocratic,” he said.
