New Delhi: As the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for Lok Sabha and four Assembly elections on Saturday, many had expected dates for voting to Jammu & Kashmir Assembly to be released as well.
However, that was not to be, even though elections to five Parliamentary constituencies of Jammu & Kashmir will be held in five phases — between April 19 and May 20.
Asked about Assembly polls in Jammu & Kashmir, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that ECI was committed to holding elections in the union territory after general elections.
“EC stands committed to holding Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir soon after the Lok Sabha elections,” the CEC said.
Kumar said all parties in Jammu & Kashmir felt Assembly election should be held along with general elections the parliamentary polls, but that was not possible because of logistical reasons.
“The entire administrative machinery said it cannot be done simultaneously. Every Assembly segment would have 10-12 candidates, which would mean more than 1,000 candidates. Every candidate has to be provided forces. It was not possible at this time,” Kumar said.
The last Assembly election in Jammu & Kashmir was held in 2014, with the Legislative Assembly being dissolved in November 2018.
Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir, was abrogated in August 2019 after which Jammu & Kashmir state was bifurcated into two Union Territories — J & K and Ladakh, with no Assembly for the latter.
Assembly election has been due in J & K since then.
Last December, Supreme Court directed ECI to hold Assembly polls in J & K by September 30.
The CEC also pointed out that the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was amended in December 2023 after a delimitation exercise and the clock had started ticking for the Election Commission since then.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed in 2019. There was a provision for 107 seats, 24 of which were in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Then the delimitation commission came and there was a change in the seats…. The reorganisation Act and delimitation were not in sync. That happened in December 2023. So our meter started running from December 2023,” Kumar said.
