Srinagar, Oct 09: Asserting upon the timely conduct of assembly elections in J&K, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday stated that it will announce the schedule for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time, taking into account security considerations and concurrent electoral events.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, in response to queries regarding the timing of J&K polls during a press conference discussing elections in five states in the country.
“We will unveil the schedule for Assembly polls in J&K at a suitable moment, considering both security concerns and the electoral calendar in the Union Territory,” he said.
Recently, ECI unveiled election dates for five states: Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Rajasthan. These elections are scheduled to kick off on November 7, with vote counting scheduled for December 5.
J & K has been under President’s rule since June 2018. Notably, on August 5, 2019, the Central government revoked Article 370 and restructured the erstwhile state into two Union Territories—J&K and Ladakh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has affirmed in Parliament that statehood will be restored to J&K once the situation stabilizes. The last Assembly elections in J&K were held in 2014.
Several political parties, including the National Conference, Congress, and J&K Apni Party, have actively advocated for the swift restoration of statehood in J&K to enable elections in the Union Territory.
