J&K leaders meet EC, ask for Assembly elections to be announced

The Opposition, in a memorandum signed by leaders of the NC, PDP, Congress, CPI (M), AAP, RJD, DMK, NCP and other parties, asked the EC to announce polls as it would restore the democratic rights of the people of J&K.

“Jammu and Kashmir is without a legislative assembly and an elected government for the last five years. In disregard of the letter and spirit of the Constitution, an unrepresentative and unaccountable bureaucracy is allows to run the government to the discomfort and inconvenience of the general public,” they wrote.

They added that the EC was under Constitutional obligation to hold elections in J&K and any denial of this would amount to denial of fundamental rights.

A senior EC official said the process of appointing Returning Officers, rationalisation of polling stations and updating the electoral roll had been completed by November, after the notification of the delimitation in May last year. Since November, the winter weather conditions had prevented polls, but conditions would become permissible May onwards, the official said.

In January, while announcing the Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland Assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar was asked about the J&K polls. He had said all pre-election processes had been completed. “So, we are aware that once the process is complete, elections are due and they must be held,” he said.