EC begins consultation process to review poll preparedness in JK

The mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday batted for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls before the Election Commission panel in Srinagar as it began its two-day visit to review poll preparedness ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The Election Commission panel headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar arrived in Srinagar late Monday evening to interact with the representatives of the political parties and other stakeholders.

Both the Kashmir-based political parties National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party batted for Assembly polls alongside Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP too has expressed its readiness for simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Delegations of the Congress party and the Aam Admi Party also met the nine-member panel at the SKICC. Jammu and Kashmir Panthers party leader Harsh Dev Singh was, however, prevented from meeting the poll panel.

Soon after the former Cabinet minister arrived at the main gate of the venue at SKICC he was prevented from entering the premises.

Singh showed the invitation letter to the media but the Jammu and Kashmir police deployed at the venue of the meeting, SKICC, didn’t allow the party delegation.

Neither the ECI nor the Jammu and Kashmir police or civil administration cited any reasons for denying Singh the meeting at the last hour.

National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani, who led his party’s delegation, said they impressed upon the Election Commission the need for holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir together with the Lok Sabha polls.

“We told the commission that it has been 10 years that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been deprived of their democratic rights. So, the assembly elections should be held along with Lok Sabha polls. The commission gave us a patient hearing,” Wani said.

He said conducting two



elections separately in a year would disturb Jammu and Kashmir’s economy. “The tourism sector here is very vibrant and people are expecting a huge rush of tourists. So, if two elections are held in a year (separately), then the economic activity will be disrupted. Also, the prime minister’s dream is to have one nation and one election. So why not start that from Jammu and Kashmir,” the National Conference leader told reporters. Wani said the party delegation also told the Election Commission that people here have apprehensions that the elections would not be fair. The EC should ensure a level playing field in the elections, he said.

“The commission heard us patiently but the decision is theirs,” he added.

PDP leader Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura said his party also batted for holding assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously. “It is now up to the Election Commission to decide on this,” he told reporters after the meeting.

BJP leader R S Pathania said BJP is also ready for simultaneous polls. He alleged that the NC, PDP and Congress were “frauds who have spread smokescreen in the name of half-truths to fool the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.

The BJP leader demanded that polling booths be set up at places outside the Union territory where the members of the Kashmiri Pandit community have been living to facilitate their voting.

After the meeting with political parties, the poll panel chaired a high-level security review meeting to assess the situation on ground zero. District Election Officers and superintendents of police also briefed the poll panel separately. The Election Commission is scheduled to visit Jammu on Wednesday and interact with the representatives of the political parties.

Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer (J & K ) PK Pole, and nodal officers of the state police also briefed the poll panel about the preparedness ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.