Nabi said that it's obvious that it is the BJP's J&K unit which is drawing back in fear of facing the people as they are not brave enough to face voters. “Clearly they have failed to mitigate peoples’ sufferings
File Photo/PTI
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Wednesday said that a further delay in holding assembly elections in the erstwhile state is unfortunate and puts a “big question mark” on the role of Election Commission of India.
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Reacting to the Chief Election Commissioner's acknowledgement of a vacuum in J&K that needs to be filled, JKNC State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said, “We have a person no less than Chief Election Commissioner himself acknowledging the 'current vacuum' in J&K. Still the concerned agency seems to be in no hurry to conduct elections, on the contrary they manage to find new excuses to delay polls,” he said in a statement released in Srinagar.
Nabi said that it's obvious that it is the BJP's J&K unit which is drawing back in fear of facing the people as they are not brave enough to face voters. “Clearly they have failed to mitigate peoples’ sufferings.”
He said that it was expected of the election commission to announce assembly elections in J&K with the Karnataka elections. “To our surprise and dismay ECI once again skipped J&K from its scheme of things. It seems as if people of J&K have been relegated to deep abyss and forgotten,” he said.
Nabi added: “There seems to be no reason in further delaying the Assembly elections as the weather is also getting pleasant and suitable for conducting any electoral exercise. They have only two reasons for delaying the polls further - one could be the worsening security situation which they claim has improved- and the second being ECI giving a cover to BJP who are afraid to face the voters.”
Nabi said it has been almost four and a half years since J&K had an elected government, adding, “If the elections can be held in Karnataka, why can't they happen in J&K? BJP doesn't give a toss to people's mounting woes. All it is concerned about is its electoral prospects. They know they will lose badly here because of their dealings.”
Earlier Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the revision of electoral rolls in Jammu & Kashmir doesn’t disturb schedule or conduct part of polls and the poll-body is aware that there is a vacuum in the Union Territory which needs to be filled.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi the CEC said that revision of electoral rolls in Jammu & Kashmir doesn’t disturb schedule or conduct part of the polls. “It doesn’t disturb the schedule part/conduct part that depends on various other factors,” the CEC said.
The CEC said that they are aware that there is a vacuum in Jammu & Kashmir which needs to be filled.
On March 20, the ECI ordered a fresh revision of electoral exercise in Jammu & Kashmir. The exercise would start on April 5 with publication of the integrated draft electoral roll and culminate on May 10 with publication of final electoral rolls.
This is the second such exercise ordered by the poll-body in Jammu & Kashmir in less than one year.
Jammu & Kashmir has been without an elected government since June 19, 2018 when BJP withdrew support to Mehbooba Mufti-led government for which it had entered into a power-sharing agreement in 2015.
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