Election Commission to Review J&K Security with Union Home Secretary

The Election Commission is set to meet with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. This comes as the government is directed to conclude the election process in the region by September 30, 2024. Elections will be held after a decade-long gap.

The Election Commission will convene a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday to review the security landscape in Jammu and Kashmir, sources have disclosed. Last December, the Supreme Court mandated the central government to finalize the election process in the Union territory by September 30, 2024.

If elections take place before this deadline, it will mark the first electoral event in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014, breaking a ten-year hiatus. The PDP-BJP coalition government dissolved in June 2018 when the BJP withdrew support from then-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Recently, a delegation headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar evaluated poll preparations in J&K. During a press conference in Jammu, Kumar reaffirmed that the commission is dedicated to conducting elections "at the earliest."

Addressing potential disruptions, Kumar asserted that neither internal nor external forces can derail the electoral process. He highlighted the strong support from local political parties for holding assembly elections, asserting their consensus on the necessity of publicly elected representatives who are closely connected with the community. Additionally, the Election Commission officials engaged with national and recognized parties, all of whom commended the successful and peaceful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections in the region.