J&K polls as per schedule: Lyngdoh

A day after Kashmir Committee chairman Ram Jethmalani recommended that the Assembly polls in J-K be postponed, Chief Election Commissioner J...

A day after Kashmir Committee chairman Ram Jethmalani recommended that the Assembly polls in J-K be postponed, Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh today ruled out the possibility, firmly stating that there would be no change in the schedule of the four-phased polls and the notification for the first phase would be issued on August 22.

‘‘The Election Commission is ready to hold the elections in four phases and these elections will not be postponed,’’ said Lyngdoh, who arrived on a three-day visit to the state yesterday to review the security situation and preparations. However, he added the final decision would be taken by the Centre only.

Deputy PM L.K. Advani too ruled out postponement of polls as well as any talks with the Hurriyat or the imposition of Governor’s Rule. He asserted that the Centre would now talk only with elected representatives from the state.

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After Advani’s no, even the Jethmalani-led Kashmir Committee climbed down on its rhetoric on polls and the peace initiative. Jethmalani said that ‘‘dialogue with the Hurriyat and others will continue in spite of these parties not agreeing to joining the polls.’’

The Hurriyat, on the other hand, today termed Jethmalani’s statement on its refusal to participate in the elections as ‘‘rubbish’’, saying that he may have made it ‘‘under pressure’’.

Jethmalani, on his part, tried to mend fences with the Hurriyat by saying: ‘‘I was trying to convey to the Hurriyat leaders that their non-participation seen in the light of General Pervez Musharraf’s anti-election rhetoric would convey wrong impressions to the Indian public and they would start believing that Hurriyat leaders work as per diktats from Pakistan.’’

In Srinagar, Lyngdoh met the deputy commissioners of all the eight districts of the Kashmir Valley. He said that all the necessary arrangements had been made to hold free and fair Assembly elections.

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Dubbing the suggestion to defer the polls as a ‘‘political demand’’, Lyngdoh said: ‘‘We are not politicians so we have nothing to say on what they have said,’’ he said. Assuring proper security measures, the CEC said voters’ lists would be completed on time.

According to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Pramod Jain, ‘‘about 5,000 officers, who have already functioned as polling officers, have been drawn from UP and Punjab to eliminate bias’’. He said four officials would be deputed at each polling station — two from outside and two from the state.

Meanwhile, RSS leader Vaidya sought postponement of elections. He said that compared to Gujarat where most of the parties were preparing for elections, majority of the parties in J-K had sought postponement.