CEC: Committed to holding UT Assembly poll at earliest

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, August 9

Indicating that the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in the coming months, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said no internal or external force could derail the poll process.

“We are committed to conducting the elections at the earliest,” Kumar said during a media briefing at a private hotel in Jammu. On Thursday, the ECI team constituting the CEC, Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu visited Srinagar and met nine regional and national political parties.

Talking about the recent spate of violence in the Jammu region, the CEC said they were sure that people would give a befitting response to disruptive forces. He added that the date of Assembly elections would be decided after assessing the availability of security forces.

SVEEP activities inaugurated in Srinagar

• Hundreds of Kashmiri youth participated in events held under Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP)
• The events included ‘Run for Democracy’, ‘Cycle Rally’ and ‘Shikara Rally’ at Sheri-Kashmir International Conference Centre
• Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar inaugurated the events on Friday
• EC team is currently undertaking second special summary revision of electoral rolls

“There will be no impact of terror acts on the elections. The administration and security forces are capable of dealing with any situation,” he added.

The CEC further said officials of the security forces had informed the poll panel that they were ready for elections. “Security situation can be of any kind, but it cannot delay the election process,” he added.

According to the CEC, political parties appreciated the panel for peaceful and successful conduct of the recent Lok Sabha elections. He further said political parties unanimously batted for holding Assembly polls in J&K as soon as possible.

Leaders also highlighted that during the General Election 2024, some polling stations were set up at far-off distances from voters’ residence.