Will meet political parties, officers today
Discussion on Assembly polls likely
JAMMU, Mar 12:
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar along with nine other top officials of the Commission reached Srinagar this evening and will review preparations for Lok Sabha elections in the Union Territory over the next two days with top officials of civil and police administration and take views of various political parties.
Among major political parties, the National Conference, Congress and People’s Democratic Party said they will demand early Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir-simultaneously with Lok Sabha-while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asserted that it will leave the decision to the discretion of the Commission. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced boycott of the Commission on the ground that their leaders haven’t been provided security cover.
Officials said CEC Rajiv Kumar along with top officials of the Election Commission reached Srinagar this evening where they will be meeting leaders of various national and regional political parties, senior officers of civil and police administration besides Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow.
The Commission team led by Kumar comprised Dharmendra Sharma and Nitesh Vyas, Senior Deputy Election Commissioners, Hirdesh Kumar and Manoj Kumar Sahoo, Deputy Election Commissioners, B Narayanan, Director General, Shubra Saxena, Pankaj Shrivastava and Deepali Masirkar, all Directors and BC Patra, Secretary.
They will be in Jammu on March 13 before returning to New Delhi after which the Election Commission is expected to announce the schedule for Parliamentary elections.
Besides reviewing preparedness for Lok Sabha elections, the Commission might also examine the possibility as to when the Assembly polls can be held in the Union Territory as the Supreme Court has set September 30 deadline for undertaking such an exercise.
The BJP delegation comprising RS Pathania, Rafiq Ahmed Wani, Parimoksh Seth and Showkat Gayoor is expected to leave the decision on holding Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir to the discretion of the Commission. The BJP leaders will raise series of issues pertaining to Lok Sabha polls in the UT.
Congress team including Peerzada Sayeed, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Anwar Bhat and Irfan Naqashbandi will demand conduct of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir without any delay, PCC spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said.
The Congress delegations will also seek level playing field to all parties including Opposition especially on the issue of security and will press for updated voter lists to all political parties in English, Urdu and Hindi.
The National Conference and PDP leaders confirmed their participation in the meeting with the Election Commission saying they will be stressing on simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir besides taking up other issues pertaining to the polls and the political parties.
The BSP has, however, announced boycott of the Election Commission.
BSP UT chief Darshan Rana said senior leaders of their party haven’t been provided any security cover. “How can we visit Kashmir without security”? Rana asked.
Various other political parties are also scheduled to meet the Commission.
The poll-body will also meet senior officers of civil and police administration including Divisional Commissioners, ADGPs of Jammu and Kashmir Zones, Additional DGP Law and Order, all 20 Deputy Commissioners, SSPs to assess preparedness for Lok Sabha elections in the UT, which has five Parliamentary constituencies including Jammu, Udhampur, Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri (APR).
They are also expected to meet Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police (DGP) RR Swain.
The Commission will be in Jammu on March 13 before returning to New Delhi. In Jammu also, they will have a series of meetings.
The Panel is expected to announce Lok Sabha election schedule after return to New Delhi from Jammu and Kashmir after which the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will come into force.