EC team again in J-K for feedback on assembly polls

Almost all political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have criticised the EC’s move of not conducting the assembly polls along with national elections in the state.

An Election Commission (EC) appointed three-member special observers’ team arrived in Srinagar on Thursday to seek fresh feedback from political parties about scheduling the assembly polls in the state.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and the Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra with the three Special Observers for Jammu & Kashmir Amarjit Singh Gill, Noor Mohammad and Shri Vinod Zutshi, in New Delhi on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. (ANI)

Almost all political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have criticised the EC’s move of not conducting the assembly polls along with national elections in the state.

Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the state assembly on November 21, five months after chief minister Mehbooba Mufti lost power as the BJP withdrew its support to her PDP led government.

Vinod Zutshi, Noor Mohammad and AS Gill arrived in Srinagar days after most political parties requested an EC team, led by chief election commissioner, Sunil Arora, to conduct both elections simultaneously.

PDP leader, Firdous Tak, called the observers visit futile. “The EC has already wasted resources, energy and time in assessing the situation for the assembly elections... The general perception is the EC is working under some kind of political pressure from the ruling party [BJP] in Delhi.”

Congress spokesman, Ravinder Sharma, said:“An EC team was here on March 5 and received feedback from political parties. All the parties... favoured simultaneous polls but the EC cited security scenario and announced only Lok Sabha poll schedule. Now, again observers are in the state. Tell me, what has changed?”