J&K Parties Demand to Conduct Assembly, Lok Sabha Elections Together as EC Team Reviews Poll Preparations – News18

Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to hold assembly elections in the Union Territory simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls as the panel started two-day consultations with stakeholders to review preparedness for the upcoming general elections.

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) too has expressed its readiness for simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

BJP leader R S Pathania said that his party is 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 befool the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.

To simplify voting, the BJP leader insisted that polling stations be established outside of Union territory where the Kashmiri Pandit population has been residing.

National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani, who led his party’s delegation, said they persuaded the Election Commission to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir alongside 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 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 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, it is the prime minister’s dream to have one nation, one election. So why not start that from Jammu and Kashmir,” the National Conference leader told reporters.

Wani stated that the Election Commission was informed by the party delegation that there are concerns among the general public over the fairness of the upcoming elections. According to him, the EC needs to make sure that everyone has an equal chance to win.

“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.

After the meeting with political parties, the poll panel will hold a detailed review of the election preparedness with District Election Officers and superintendents of police, officials said.

Former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad have raised this demand in the past two weeks.

“I am in favour of simultaneous elections in J and K. I want elections by midnight. The people of J&K are more concerned about assembly elections than parliament elections,” quoted NDTV as saying Azad. Senior NC leader Nasir Sogami also demanded simultaneous elections in the union territory.

There has been a growing demand from political quarters in Jammu and Kashmir that the Election Commission should hold assembly polls here simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls or immediately after the general elections.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Saturday held a meeting with the civil and police administration to sensitise them about the measures to be taken for the smooth conduct of the Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and other poll panel officials arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday for a three-day visit, officials said. They met with delegates from the National Conference (NC), PDP, BJP, CPI(M), Congress, and the Aam Admi Party.

The Supreme Court has mandated that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh hold assembly elections by September 30 to begin the process of restoring statehood. The territories will also hold general elections in April or May for their six Lok Sabha seats.

(with PTI inputs)