Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday said that the poll panel was committed to conducting assembly elections in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir “at the earliest”.
"We are committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and we will not let any internal or external forces derail the election. All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are batting strongly for holding assembly elections as soon as possible," PTI quoted Kumar as saying at a press conference in Jammu.
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The three-member EC panel is in J&K to review the preparedness of the administration and security agencies for holding elections. On the second day of their visit, the EC delegation held discussions with J-K chief secretary Atal Dullo and J-K Police DGP R R Swain.
The EC panel's visit to J&K comes amid spike in terror-related incidents in the Union territory. In an interview to HT, Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha denied that the terror threat poses challenge to holding peaceful elections in the UT.
“The Election Commission team is coming on August 8 and 9. Once they decide, the Jammu and Kashmir administration is fully ready to hold the elections,” Sinha had said.
J&K last held assembly polls in 2014
Jammu and Kashmir last held an assembly election in 2014. The assembly was dissolved in 2018 and elections were supposed to be held to the assembly of the erstwhile state in 2019.
In 2019, the Narendra Modi government abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated J&K into two Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
However, after the bifurcation in August 2019, the Assembly polls could not be held due to various reasons, including a delimitation exercise completed in 2022.
ALSO READ: How abrogation of Article 370 has helped India diplomatically
Last December, the Supreme Court upheld the Article 370 abrogation and also directed the Election Commission to hold Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections by September 30, 2024.
Jammu and Kashmir last held an assembly election in 2014. The assembly was dissolved in 2018 and elections were supposed to be held to the assembly of the erstwhile state in 2019.
In 2019, the Narendra Modi government abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated J&K into two Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
However, after the bifurcation in August 2019, the Assembly polls could not be held due to various reasons, including a delimitation exercise completed in 2022.
ALSO READ: How abrogation of Article 370 has helped India diplomatically
Last December, the Supreme Court upheld the Article 370 abrogation and also directed the Election Commission to hold Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections by September 30, 2024.