J&K parties meet EC; seek joint LS and Assembly polls

Jammu and Kashmir’s regional parties have, at their meetings with the Election Commission (EC), demanded holding of simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the Union territory (UT).

While the Congress and CPI(M), and some other national parties have endorsed their plea, the BJP has informed the EC about its “preparedness” for the Lok Sabha and the Assembly as well the panchayat elections in J&K.

“Regional parties are trying to mislead the people by telling them that the BJP is not adequately prepared for the elections and, therefore, is shying away from the democratic process,” said party spokesman R.S. Pathania.

A 10-member EC team, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, which is on a three-day visit to Srinagar and Jammu, on Tuesday began consultation with political parties in J&K as part of its review preparedness for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the UT.

The team held interactions with delegations from the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, BJP, CPI(M), Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, officials said.

NC’s provisional who led his party’s delegation said that it told the poll panel that the last Assembly elections in J&K were held in 2014 but the House elected for six years was prematurely dissolved in November 2018 and the people have been deprived of their democratic right to elect a government since. “We told them that people fail to understand what the rationale is behind delaying the Assembly elections in J&K,” he said, adding, “They gave us a patient hearing.”

NC vice-president and former CM Omar Abdullah had earlier said that it would be an injustice to people if the Assembly elections in J&K were postponed. “We have only one demand to raise with them (EC team) and that is the Assembly polls should be held along with the LS polls,” he said.