The Election Commission on Tuesday took exception to reported statements of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor G.C. Murmu regarding holding of polls in the Union Territory after the delimitation exercise is over, saying timing of elections is the sole remit of the EC. “The Election Commission takes exception to such statements and would like to state that in the Constitutional scheme of things, the timings, etc of elections is the sole remit of Election Commission of India,” the Commission said in a statement.
The EC said it would be proper for authorities other than the poll body to refrain from making such statements which “virtually tantamount to interfering with the Constitutional mandate of the Election Commission.”
The EC said that before deciding the timing of an election, all the relevant factors such as topography, weather, and sensitivities arising out of regional and local festivities in the area where the election is to take place are taken into consideration. “For example, in the current times, Covid 19 has introduced a new dynamic, which has to be and shall be taken into consideration at the due time. In the instant case, the outcome of delimitation is also germane to the decision,” the commission said.
The other issues taken into account, the EC said, are availability of central forces and railway coaches, etc for the transportation of central paramilitary forces. “All this is done after meticulous homework by the senior officials of the commission and a detailed assessment in due consultation with concerned authorities. The commission itself schedules a visit to the concerned state wherever required and holds extensive consultations with all the stakeholders,” it said.
