Chief Election Commission Rajiv Kumar on Friday (August 9) said that the ECI was committed to conducting elections in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and would not let any “internal and external forces” derail the electoral process. He said that all the political parties in J-K are “batting strongly” for holding Assembly Elections.
"We are committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and we will not let any internal or external forces derail the election," Kumar said.
"All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are batting strongly for holding assembly elections as soon as possible," he added.
The CEC’s remarks came while addressing a press conference during a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to review the preparedness of the administration as well as the security agencies for the conduct of the polls.
On the second day of their visit on Friday, the EC delegation that also includes Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, held discussions with Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary Atal Dullo and the Union Territories police chief R R Swain, officials said.
Assembly polls have not been held in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014. The polls were due to be held in early 2019 following the dissolution of the legislative body of the erstwhile state in 2018.
However, after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories in August 2019, the Assembly polls could not be held due to various reasons, including a delimitation exercise completed in 2022. In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024.
(With PTI inputs)
ALSO READ | Jammu-Kashmir Assembly Elections: Farooq Abdullah rules out pre-poll alliance with any party
