EC Chief Rajiv Kumar Advocates Swift Elections in Jammu and Kashmir

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar emphasized the commitment of the Election Commission to conduct polls in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. He assured that no internal or external forces would disrupt the electoral process. The EC delegation, on a three-day visit, reviewed the readiness of the administration and security agencies.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar affirmed on Friday that the Election Commission is committed to conducting elections in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest, assuring that no internal or external forces would be permitted to derail the electoral process.

Speaking at a press conference, Kumar noted that all political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are advocating strongly for assembly elections to be held promptly.

An Election Commission delegation, headed by Kumar, is visiting Jammu and Kashmir for three days to assess the preparedness of both the administration and security agencies for the upcoming polls. On the second day, the delegation, including Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, held discussions with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dullo and the Union Territory's Police Chief R R Swain.

Jammu and Kashmir have not had assembly polls since 2014. The elections were initially scheduled for early 2019 but were postponed due to the 2018 dissolution of the legislative body in the former state. The bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories in August 2019 and a delimitation exercise completed in 2022 further delayed the elections. Last December, the Supreme Court instructed the Centre to finalize the election process by September 30, 2024.