Early Times Report
Jammu, June 20: If all goes well, the poll bugle for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to be blown in the month of November, sources close to the corridors of power in New Delhi told the Early Times.
On June 18, during his 2-day visit to the Union Territory, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said there was a “strong possibility” of starting the electoral process by “the end of this year”.
As per the sources, the Election Commission of India has already set in motion the process of holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by initiating the revision of electoral rolls following the delimitation exercise in the Union Territory. The draft rolls are likely to be ready by August 31, the sources said.
The sources said the improvement in situation in Jammu and Kashmir is suggestive of the elections, awaited for four years, being kickstarted in November. A top aide of the Union Government said the evolving situation in J&K was suggestive of the timings.
The sources said the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey recently carried out a review and directed the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer to map the redrawn assembly constituencies.
“The electoral roll revision is to be carried out before the first assembly election is conducted and this process will very soon commence on war footing,” said the sources.
The Delimitation Commission has already done its work. According to the orders of the Delimitation Commission, set up under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019, the Union Territory will have 90 assembly constituencies - 43 in Jammu Division and 47 in Kashmir - with nine of them being reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
The sources said the only threat to the elections getting delayed was Pakistan sponsored terror.
“As of now situation is under control, but the only apprehension of the elections getting delayed any further is if the situation in Kashmir deteriorates god forbid.” |
