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‘No election in sight,’ J&K’s National Conference takes swipe at ECI after Karnataka poll announcement
Taking a swipe at ECI, National Conference (NC) chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq tweeted: “It’s the 5th year now and no election in sight! Jammu and Kashmir remains without an elected government”
The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) announcement of dates for state polls in Karnataka and Lok Sabha:by-elections in May provided the UT’s political parties an opportunity to serve a reminder about Jammu and Kashmir being without an elected government for the past five years.
Taking a swipe at ECI, National Conference (NC) chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq tweeted: “It’s the 5th year now and no election in sight! Jammu and Kashmir remains without an elected government,” while sharing the ECI’s latest election schedule.
Notably, a delegation comprising leaders of different political parties led by NC president Farooq Abdullah had earlier this month met the election commissioner in New Delhi and handed him a memorandum, seeking early elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In utter disregard of the letter and spirit of the Constitution, an unrepresentative and unaccountable bureaucracy is allowed to run the government to the discomfort and inconvenience of the general public,” the memorandum said.
Abdullah had at the time told reporters that the commissioner had assured them that elections would soon be held. However, no schedule has been announced for the polls in the UT so far.
Highlighting the region and its people’s right to free and fair elections, Sadiq, in another tweet, wrote: “It’s unfortunate to deny the people their democratic right to vote and have a say in their governance. Every citizen of J&K, like the rest of the country deserve a fair and free election process,” he said in another tweet. (sic).”
The last assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014, with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) emerging as the single largest player and forming a coalition government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The latter, however, withdrew its support in 2018 and the state came under the governor’s rule. On August 5, 2019, the centre revoked Article 370 and 35 A and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories.
While the Centre had promised elections after the delimitation exercise, the wait for polls continues despite the demand from all quarters within the UT and the process of compiling and publication of the electoral roll also having been completed.
Politicians from the UT were hopeful of polls being announced for the early summer, but the dates for Karnataka assembly election being released on Wednesday came as an indication of further wait for Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar, meanwhile, said they were aware of a vacuum in Jammu and Kashmir that needed to be filled.
“It’s been 8 years since the last assembly elections & 5 years since J&K had an elected government. Its plainly obvious the BJP in J&K is terrified of facing the people but it isn’t the job of the Election Commission to give the BJP a shield to cower behind.” Omar Abdullah tweeted.
