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| Say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, EC told | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 15: A day after the Election Commission skipped a decision on holding Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, a majority of the political parties and residents have expressed their strong reservations while others have asked for a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Toeing the line of Peoples Democratic Party, the National Conference leaders have backed the decision. "I think it is a right decision because Jammu and Kashmir is a sensitive state. Here, whenever elections are held it should be credible one. There is no doubt that the security situation is improving, but the Election Commission should ensure that there should be people participation as only when people participation is there we will consider elections as credible," said Raheem Rather, a senior leader of National Conference.
Meanwhile, residents in Jammu said the independent poll panel's decision reflected the weakness of the Central Government. "The Congress Government has come under pressure of the militants. The process was supposed to begin but now if it is delayed it will be postponed by five-six months, as now snowfall will begin. People who want democracy will now be disappointed," said a City resident.
The Election Commission on Tuesday said it was still discussing an election date for as it announced dates for polls in five other states. The polling in Delhi and Mizoram will be held on November 29 and in Madhya Pradesh on November 25. In Chhattisgarh, polling will be held in two phases on November 14 and 20 while polling will take place on December 4 in Rajasthan.
Two major regional political parties have strongly welcomed what they termed the deferment by the Election Commission of the state assembly elections. "It is a clear vindication of our party's stand that the time is not ripe yet for holding of state assembly elections," Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said.
Mehbooba also said more needed to be done to restore confidence among the people of Kashmir before poll dates could be announced.
Hakim Muhammad Yasin, chief of the People's Democratic Forum (PDF) and a former minister in the Congress-led coalition government here, also welcomed the Election Commission decision. “It is the right decision to defer the assembly polls here for the moment,” he said.
The BJP has expressed concern over the Election Commission not announcing the election schedule for Jammu and Kashmir, saying it would give "a voice to those separatists who don't want elections to be held" there.
"This is quite intriguing and disturbing and possibly this would give a voice to those separatists who don't want elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir", BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters here.
The BJP leader, however, doubted whether the Congress-led UPA government had extended all support to the EC to hold polls in that state.
"We are aware of the fact that the Congress is facing a tough time...Possibly we still do not know whether UPA government at the Centre extended all its support to Election Commission as far as logistics and other support is concerned," he said.
"BJP would like to know whether because Congress is losing ground (that it did not extend support to EC for holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir).....," he said.
If elections are not held to Jammu and Kashmir along with five other states, it would send a wrong signal internationally, Rudy said.
On the demands of ban on Bajrang Dal, he challenged the central government to outlaw the organisation if it has the courage to do that and "if it think that it's right". |
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