In an attempt to increase participation in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the Election Commission is learnt to have instructed the administration and security officials not to undertake unnecessary preventive detention of political leaders and workers, not to merge or shift polling booths citing security concerns, and not to cancel rallies at the last minute – all of which were seen in past elections. According to EC sources, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu told officials while visiting J&K last month that preventive action should not be taken in a partisan manner and only those with criminal history should be taken into detention. In the past, leaders and workers of parties have been taken into preventive detention on the eve of polling. Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti raised the issue during the Lok Sabha elections in May, alleging that her party workers and polling agents had been detained. The EC is learnt to have told J&K officials to put a stop to undue arrests around polling day, except for those with anti-social or criminal backgrounds. Another change this time is that the EC has instructed officials not to merge or move polling booths. In earlier elections, booths would be changed a day or two before polling, leading to confusion among voters, an EC source said. To encourage participation of candidates, the EC has also instructed the administration not to cancel rallies and other events at the last minute and to grant permission for events in a timely manner. When contacted, CEC Rajiv Kumar told The Indian Express: “This time, it is centred around enthusiasm and participation across every facet and layer of electioneering i.e, parties, voters, candidates, campaigning, etc. It is the real jashn-e-jamhooriyat and deepening of democracy.” According to EC data, J&K parties and candidates had lodged 3,034 requests seeking permissions for rallies/ events, of which 2,223 were accepted and 327 rejected as of Tuesday. In Haryana, which will vote on October 8, there have been 655 requests, of which 428 were approved. J&K is set to vote in its first Assembly elections in 10 years, starting with the first phase on September 18, and the second and third phases on September 25 and October 1, respectively. These are the first Assembly elections in J&K since its special status was revoked and the state divided into two Union territories in 2019. In the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, J&K recorded a 35-year-high voter turnout at 58.58%, though it was lower than the 2014 Assembly polls’ turnout of 65.52%. Apart from the three recognised state parties (NC, PDP and J&K National Panthers Party), there are 32 registered unrecognised political parties in J&K. Referring to the increase in independent candidates and smaller parties in the fray this time, former Chief Minister and NC vice-president Omar Abdullah earlier alleged that the BJP had struck a deal with some of them. Abdullah is facing seven Independents and a candidate from a smaller party in Ganderbal constituency.
