Srinagar, April 12 (). The final revision of electoral rolls in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be completed by May 10, but most political parties feel that the assembly elections here will take more time.
All mainstream regional political parties and the Congress recently met the Election Commission and requested for early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Announcing the Karnataka Assembly election schedule, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that Jammu and Kashmir is lagging behind due to the absence of an elected government.
The previous elected government led by Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fell after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of the coalition on 19 June 2018. After this, on 21 November 2018, the then Governor Satyapal Malik dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
On 5 August 2019, the state was bifurcated into the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir by the Parliament, in which J&K has a Delhi-like assembly. After this, Articles 370 and 35A were repealed by the Parliament.
There is no elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since June 20, 2018.
Leaders of political parties such as the regional National Conference (NC), Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, People’s Conference and Awami National Conference (ANC), and leaders of the centrist Congress and CPI(M) also accused the BJP government at the Center of deliberately delaying the assembly elections. Are.
The NC leader has been at the forefront of the opposition’s campaign to blame the Center for the delay in these elections.
After the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, all local political leaders were put under detention to maintain law and order.
Fortunately, the abrogation of Article 370 did not lead to any unrest. Authorities said in 2019 that political leaders were detained to prevent them from organizing public protests.
Generally speaking, after August 2019, there has been a change at the ground level. Public unrest, stone pelting, shutdown called by separatists, etc. have stopped.
Jammu and Kashmir’s DGP, Dilbag Singh, recently said that there has been a decline in militancy, though it has not been completely eradicated yet.
Last year the tourism season in Kashmir was very good. This year also, the start of tourism in the first three and a half months has been very encouraging. Hoteliers, tour and travel operators, houseboat owners and shikarawalas are doing good business on Dal and Nagin lakes.
This year’s annual Amarnath Yatra will begin in the last week of June and will continue for two months till the end of August.
Reliable sources told that the summer tourist season and the upcoming Amarnath Yatra are two major reasons why the assembly elections may not be held till winter. In this way only the last quarter of the year remains for the assembly elections.
Municipal and panchayat elections are also due by the end of the year as the term of the elected urban and rural bodies ends by January 2024.
Given these facts and the realization that the Lok Sabha elections are due in the country in April-May 2024, most of the political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir believe that the assembly elections in the Union Territory may not be held this year at all. These may be held along with the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
Despite this fact every political party including the BJP is asking its cadre not to reduce security in anticipation of assembly elections and start grassroots activities.
AKJ/SKP
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