MHA backs J&K admin on not holding state poll with Lok Sabha poll

The state administration had first indicated its security concerns on holding J&K polls jointly with Lok Sabha last month. Parliamentary elections are due in April-May.

Lok Sabha elections in Jammu Kashmir, Jammu Kashmir polls, Home ministry, Election Commission, pulwama attack, India news, Indian Express

The EC is yet to take a final call on the matter.

Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are unlikely to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is learnt to have backed the state administration’s security concerns in a meeting called by the Election Commission (EC) on Monday.

The meeting, which was held days after the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, was attended by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, J&K Chief Electoral Officer Shailendra Kumar, and J&K Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam.

The state administration had first indicated its security concerns on holding J&K polls jointly with Lok Sabha last month. Parliamentary elections are due in April-May. The Commission, then, had asked the J&K Chief Secretary and police chief to come back with concrete data and information to back its view. In the meeting held Monday, the J&K representatives reiterated their position and were backed by the MHA.

Story continues below this ad

The EC is yet to take a final call on the matter.

Sources said the administration and MHA are concerned that J&K, which requires heavy security force deployment during polls, may not get the required number if it goes to polls with the rest of the country. Moreover, since 1967, J&K has never held polls jointly with Lok Sabha elections. Only in 1977, 1996, and 2014 were they held in the same year, but not simultaneously.

Ritika Chopra

Ritika Chopra, an award-winning journalist with over 17 years of experience, serves as the Chief of the National Bureau (Govt) and National Education Editor at The Indian Express in New Delhi. In her current role, she oversees the newspaper's coverage of government policies and education. Ritika closely tracks the Union Government, focusing on the politically sensitive Election Commission of India and the Education Ministry, and has authored investigative stories that have prompted government responses. Ritika joined The Indian Express in 2015. Previously, she was part of the political bureau at The Economic Times, India’s largest financial daily. Her journalism career began in Kolkata, her birthplace, with the Hindustan Times in 2006 as an intern, before moving to Delhi in 2007. Since then, she has been reporting from the capital on politics, education, social sectors, and the Election Commission of India. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram