'J&K to see panchayat, LS, municipal polls next year,' says Chief Electoral Officer

The latest assertions by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) PK Pole that panchayat, urban local bodies and Lok Sabha elections are scheduled in next one year has made it clear that holding much awaited Assembly polls were not in the priority list of the Center.

Panchayats and municipalities in J&K will complete their five-year term in October-November this year while Lok Sabha polls are scheduled in April-May next year.

In an interview with a local English daily, Pole said panchayat, urban local bodies and Lok Sabha elections are scheduled in next one year while “Assembly elections are due.”

He didn’t elaborate on the date of the Assembly elections that have been due since the PDP-BJP alliance fell apart in June 2018, after which the erstwhile state was brought under central rule. This is the third longest spell of bureaucratic rule in any state or UT with a legislature in independent India’s history.

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While Pole spoke at length about preparations being made for the three elections, he didn’t mention anything about the holding of Assembly polls.

“Number of polling stations in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 11,370 and some auxiliary polling stations can be set up where number of voters exceeds 1400 for the next Lok Sabha elections as three elections are scheduled, including panchayats, municipalities and parliament while Assembly polls are due,” he said.

In March a delegation of leaders from J&K led by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah met the Election Commission of India (ECI) to demand that Assembly elections be announced without delay. However, there has been no response from the ECI in this regard so far.

In his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that elections in J&K would be held after the delimitation process is complete. Almost a year later Modi made a similar assurance on June 24, 2021 after he had chaired an all-party meeting with J&K politicians in New Delhi.

While the delimitation process was completed last year in May, political observers feel there is no possibility of holding Assembly polls at least till Lok Sabha elections are over and a new government is formed at the Center.