CEC vows to prevent disruptions in J&K polls

Jammu: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Friday said the Election Commission (EC) is committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and will not allow any internal or external forces to derail the electoral process.

An EC delegation led by Kumar visited Jammu and Kashmir to review the preparedness for the conduct of the polls and hold discussions with political parties. “We are committed to conducting elections at the earliest in Jammu and Kashmir. We are confident that the people will respond robustly to disruptive forces and we will witness increased voter participation whenever elections are held,” Kumar said following the conclusion of the two-day visit.

Flanked by Election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, the CEC said that the EC has completed its state-level review while emphasising that the time is right for holding Assembly elections in the region. “We are ready to build on the successes of the previous parliamentary elections. We will first review the availability of security forces in New Delhi. The Supreme Court’s deadline of September 30 will be kept in mind. We will inform you accordingly,” Kumar said when asked about the timeline for Assembly elections.

Kumar said the timing of elections in any state depends on the expiry of the Assembly’s term. “Elections in four to five states are scheduled for this year, each with separate timelines, and we are prepared for that,” he said.

With the Amarnath Yatra concluding on August 19, he said the security situation and force requirements would be assessed in Delhi. During their visit, the CEC-led team met representatives from nine political parties -- the BJP, Congress, AAP, BSP, CPIM, National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, J&K National Panthers Party (Bhim), and J&K Panthers Party (India) -- in Srinagar to gather their viewpoints. “These are recognised parties in the state. All parties unanimously praised the people and the Election Commission for conducting peaceful and historic parliamentary elections in J&K. “They acknowledged that the high voter participation was a historic achievement, with no untoward incidents. Public faith in the electoral process has increased,” Kumar said.

Kumar noted that all parties agreed that elections should be held as early as possible and also called for a level playing field in the elections.