Mainstream political parties urge EC to hold J&K Assembly, LS polls together

This was communicated by delegations of mainstream political parties to an ECI team headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora here on Monday.

The ECI team arrived in the summer capital, Srinagar on a two-day visit to the state to assess the ground situation for holding Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir presently under President's Rule which is ending in May 2019.

An NC spokesperson said that a three member delegation led by party general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar reiterated party’s resolve that there is no substitute to a democratically elected government in the state.

“J&K National Conference is of the view that assembly elections in the state should he held simultaneously with Lok Sabha elections,” the delegation said.

The NC delegation while underscoring the importance of having a democratically elected government in the state, said that people are yearning for a popular government that could further the cause of development in the state and safeguard their rights.

The delegation further said that security should not be a reason to put off legislative elections in view of the Governor’s on record affirmation of having conducted ULB and Panchayat elections together.

“Its therefore in that context that we expect governor SP Malik and his team to work towards making situation in the state conducive for assembly, LS elections and prepare an atmosphere where people in the state will feel free while participating in the democratic process,” the delegation said.

A spokesperson of Congress said that the party delegation met the ECI team and strongly pitches for holding parliamentary and Assembly polls simultaneously.

“It’s for the security agencies to create a conducive atmosphere for elections. As for as Congress is concerned, we are ready for both parliamentary and Assembly polls and these polls should be held together,” he added.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which met the ECI team, also asserted for holding general and Assembly polls together. “We are ready and our party will contest both elections with people’s support. We informed the ECI that the prevailing alienation and the unpredictable situation can only be handled by the elected government in the State,” a PDP spokesperson said.

A CPI (M) delegation led by senior leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Monday met ECI and demanded that the Assembly polls be held simultaneously with Lok Sabha elections.

A CPI(M) spokesperson said that the delegation called on the ECI team and raised the issues related to holding of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. “The delegation apprised the visiting team that Jammu and Kashmir is without an elected government for the past almost nine months and in the absence of an elected government, uncertainty in the state is deepening day-by-day and dissatisfaction among large section of people is increasing,” he said.

The delegation said that only effective response to this situation is to initiate democratic process and hold elections to Assembly and Lok Sabha simultaneously. “Any delay to do will hamper the process of improvement in the situation,” it added.

Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) chairman Hakeem Muhammad Yasin said that he also advocated for early Assembly polls in the state to deal with the alienation and void created between the people and the authorities.