J&K’s statehood first, polls later, says Congress

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 25

A day after the government said that the delimitation exercise and peaceful elections in J&K were important milestones in restoring statehood as promised earlier in Parliament, the Opposition Congress reiterated its call for statehood first, elections later.

Veteran Congress leader and former minister Karan Singh termed yesterday’s icebreaker between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and J&K parties as a positive step but added that the Centre must restore J&K’s statehood before conducting elections there.

“Such a gesture would help heal the people of the region,” said Singh, whose father Hari Singh had signed the Instrument of Accession of Kashmir with the Dominion of India in 1947.

On Article 370, Singh said the matter was before the Supreme Court and should be settled there. Singh, senior Congress leader and former J&K Governor, said the abrogation of Article 370 prima facie appeared irreversible.

Former home minister P Chidambaram also demanded restoration of statehood before polls. He said it was bizarre on the part of the government to press for elections before the grant of statehood.

“The Congress, other J&K parties and leaders want statehood first and elections afterward. The government’s response is elections first and statehood later,” said Chidambaram. “The horse pulls the cart, so a state must conduct its elections. Only such elections will be free and fair. Why does the government want the cart in the front and the horse behind? It is bizarre,” the ex-minister said.

NC vice president Omar Abdullah yesterday demanded full statehood with an independent J&K cadre for the people of the region before elections can happen.

The NC also questioned delimitation in J&K ahead of the exercise in the rest of the country in 2026. Omar asked, “Delimitation had also begun in Assam but there it was halted. Why has the exercise continued for J&K?”

The NC has sought review of the delimitation move and it remains to be seen if they attend the meeting of the Delimitation Commission as associate members, when called. They had boycotted the first meeting of the Commission in February.

PM Narendra Modi yesterday sought quick delimitation in J&K to enable early elections.