Amid a spike in terrorist attacks in the previously peaceful Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, regional parties in the Union Territory (UT) have urged the Centre to hold assembly polls on time.
The Supreme Court, in its verdict on the abrogation of Article 370, had directed the Centre to conduct assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024.
Senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, had announced during the campaigning for Lok Sabha polls that assembly elections would be held soon, and the people would be able to seek redress from their elected representatives. Modi also mentioned the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir shortly.
After the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP linked the restoration of statehood to delimitation and elections; delimitation was completed in 2022 while assembly elections are still pending since 2014. After the smooth conduct of Lok Sabha polls, the regional parties are demanding the holding of assembly elections in the UT and the restoration of statehood.
During his recent address in Parliament, Modi named Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand as the three poll-bound states but did not mention Jammu and Kashmir. Despite this omission, the BJP's top leadership held meetings in Delhi in June to analyse the performance of the party in Lok Sabha polls in the UT.
On July 6, BJP National President J.P. Nadda addressed the BJP’s extended UT executive meeting in Jammu. This was his first visit to the UT after the Lok Sabha elections this year. The meeting, preceded by a BJP office-bearers meeting on July 5 at Mishriwala in Jammu, was attended by key party leaders, including BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, J&K BJP President Ravinder Raina, and others. Nadda, addressing the gathering, reaffirmed that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held on time, as announced by Prime Minister Modi during his recent statement in Srinagar on International Yoga Day.
Despite Nadda’s assurances, regional parties are concerned that the recent surge in terrorist attacks may lead to a postponement of the elections. BJP sources in Kashmir mentioned that while constituency heads and those responsible for booth management are in place, no orders to prepare for polls have been received yet.
Sensing a possible delay, regional parties have urged the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hold the polls on time. On July 10, People’s Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone demanded timely elections in J&K, asserting that only an administration accountable to the people has the right to rule and administer the region. Lone stressed the importance of holding elections to ensure proper governance and demanded the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
A day after Lone's call for elections, Omar Abdullah, NC Vice President and former Chief Minister, also urged for timely assembly elections to demonstrate the supremacy of security forces over terrorists. He stated that while the situation is not ideal, it is not worse than in 1996, and if the government has the courage, elections should be conducted on time to allow the people of J&K to choose their own government.
These calls for elections coincided with the ECI’s meeting to review the second Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir via a video conference with the region's District Election Officers (DEOs). The SSR process, which began on June 21, 2024, includes poll-bound states of Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, alongside Jammu and Kashmir. The qualifying date for the SSR has been set as July 1, 2024.
The review focused on the progress of various pre-revision activities, including house-to-house (H2H) verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), the rationalization or rearrangement of polling stations, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of electoral rolls and Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), and addressing any inconsistencies in the electoral rolls. The agenda also covered evaluating the status of BLOs, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). Issues raised by political parties were discussed and preparations for the integrated draft roll and pre-draft format were assessed.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer P.K. Pole and other senior officers participated in the meeting. The integrated draft electoral roll is scheduled for publication on July 25, 2024, and the period for filing claims and objections will be from July 25 to August 9, 2024. Special campaign dates will be set by the CEO. The disposal of claims and objections is to be completed by August 19, 2024 and the final electoral roll will be published on August 20, 2024. The ECI will then take a call on assembly elections in Kashmir.
