When will assembly elections be held in Jammu and Kashmir? This directive from the Election Commission shows what the Election Commission has instructed | Mint

The Election Commission of India has asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer officers posted in their home districts, which is a routine procedure before holding elections.

This order is important because it indicates that assembly elections are going to be held in the Union Territory. The Election Commission has also issued similar instructions to the Chief Secretaries of Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand. Assembly elections are to be held in these three states later this year.

However, sources said that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir may be held separately and not along with the three other states.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under the Union government since June 19, 2018, when the coalition government led by People’s Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti fell after its coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support. Manoj Sinha is currently the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of the Union Territory.

Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have repeatedly said that assembly elections will be held in the Union Territory. PM Modi has also said that the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir will also be restored.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on Budget 2024, National Conference leader and Member of Parliament (MP) from Srinagar, Agha Ruhullah Mehdi accused the central government of depriving the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their democratic rights.

“I have not come here to beg for assembly elections. The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to install a democratic government by September. The process of holding elections has not started yet,” Mehdi said in the Lok Sabha.

During the hearing of the Article 370 abrogation case last year, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission to conduct assembly elections in the Union Territory by September 30, 2024.

First assembly election after removal of Article 370

Whenever assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir, it will be the first assembly election after the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution were abrogated and the erstwhile state was divided into two union territories in August 2019.

After delimitation, the number of assembly seats in the Union Territory has increased from 83 to 90, excluding the seats allotted to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir usually lasts for more than a month.

The Election Commission has consistently followed the policy that officers directly associated with the conduct of elections in a poll-bound State or Union Territory are not posted in their home districts or places where they have been posted for a long time.

regular exercise

In a July 31 directive, the Election Commission of India said the terms of the current assemblies of Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra are up to November 3, 2024, January 5, 2025, and November 26, 2024, respectively, and elections in these states are due in 2024.

“Further, elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are also scheduled to be held in the near future,” the Election Commission letter said.

The Election Commission usually issues directions regarding transfers of officials before Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Recently, it ordered updating of voter lists in Jammu and Kashmir and three states.

In June, the Election Commission had started accepting applications for allotment of ‘common symbols’ from unrecognised parties registered in the Union Territory.