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| Assembly polls in J&K ‘no one’s baby’ | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 18: War of words because former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina over the delay in elections is a clear indication that everybody is skirting responsibility for establishing a popular government in the Union Territory.
While Omar Abdullah blamed BJP for not conducting maiden assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Ravinder Raina put the onus on the Election Commission of India for inordinate delay.
“Conducting elections is the job of the ECI. Neither government nor BJP can decide on it”, Raina told reporters in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
“It’s the job of the ECI to hold elections in J&K. The decision to hold polls is been decided by ECI, not by any party, President, or Prime Minister”, he said.
Omar Abdullah, on the other hand, alleged that the ruling BJP is afraid of assembly elections and challenged the Saffron Party to conduct assembly polls along with Lok Sabha elections.
Interestingly, after meeting the Election Commission of India in March this year, the all-party delegation claimed that the poll panel was waiting for a green signal from the Union Government to conduct elections.
Earlier in February this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that call on the date and timing of polls will be taken by the Election Commission of India.
Union Home Minister said that the process of preparation of the voters’ list is nearing completion in the Union Territory. “Now, the Election Commission has to take a call on elections in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Important to mention here that the special summary revision-2022 culminated with the publication of the final electoral rolls in the UT on November 25, 2022, the process of continuous upgradation is going as any eligible citizen who has been left out of the electoral roll can apply through any of the modes of registration, i.e. Online through NVSP portal, Voter Helpline APP, Voter Portal or Offline by making an application to the ERO concerned.
Jammu and Kashmir is without an elected government since June 2018 when BJP dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) followed by the resignation of the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Five months later, on November 28, 2018, then Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the legislative assembly minutes after Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP staked a claim to form the government with the support of Congress and the National Conference.
A month later on December 19, 2018, then President Ram Nath Kovind issued a proclamation promulgating President’s Rule in J&K under article 356 of the Constitution of India.
Eight months later on August 5, 2019, the BJP government abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Almost all the political parties in J&K have been asking for holding elections in the UT. Even a delegation of J&K leaders led by NC president Farooq Abdullah met the Chief Election Commissioner of India in New Delhi in March and requested him to hold assembly elections in the UT.
The last assembly elections in J&K were held in 2014 and the assembly couldn’t complete its term then J&K came under governor’s rule after BJP withdrew its support from the PDP-BJP coalition government in June 2018. |
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