Whereas Jammu and Kashmir won’t maintain simultaneous Lok Sabha and Meeting polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has mentioned the Election Fee is dedicated to holding elections within the state.
“EC stands dedicated to holding Meeting polls in Jammu and Kashmir quickly after the Lok Sabha elections,” the Chief Election Commissioner mentioned.
“The Meeting election in Jammu and Kashmir can be held after the Lok Sabha polls as organising each concurrently just isn’t viable from the safety viewpoint,” Rajiv Kumar mentioned .
Requested why Meeting polls are usually not being held in Jammu and Kashmir together with the Lok Sabha election, the Election Commissioner mentioned forces must be offered to each candidate within the Union Territory, which isn’t attainable at a time when elections are being held throughout the nation, reported PTI.
He additionally mentioned the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was amended in December 2023 after a delimitation train and the clock had began ticking for the Election Fee (EC) since then.
“I need to make it clear that J&Ok pre-organisation was handed in 2019, the delimitation fee made a report in 2022, and the reorganisation Act and Delimitation Fee weren’t on the identical web page they usually got here on the identical web page after December 2023,” he mentioned.
Reacting to this, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticised the Election Fee for not having the ability to maintain Meeting polls in Jammu and Kashmir concurrently with the Lok Sabha polls.
“A lot for “One Nation One Election”. The EC is unable to conduct meeting polls in J&Ok with the final election even after they acknowledge that elections are due #GeneralElection2024,” he wrote on X (previously Twitter).
The Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir can be held in 5 phases, and the counting of the votes will happen on June 4.
Jammu and Kashmir has not seen Meeting elections because the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The five-year time period of 4,892 elected village panchayats got here to an finish in January 2024.
The Lok Sabha elections for 543 seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, and the outcomes can be introduced on June 4. The Election Fee made the announcement on Friday.
“The primary part can be held on April 19, the second part on April 26, the third part on Could 7, the fourth part on Could 13, the fifth part on Could 20, the sixth part on Could 25, and the seventh part on June 1,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar mentioned.