The BJP, on Monday, said that it is ready to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. This was stated by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who said that though the party is ready to hold polls in the state, the final decision on the issue would be taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after considering all the aspects, especially the security-related issues.
Coming down heavily on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC), Singh said that the two parties of the state have never made their stand clear as they indulge in doublespeak on the situation in Kashmir.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir has not had an elected government since the PDP-BJP coalition government fell apart in June 2018.
In March, when a high-level team of the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, went to Srinagar for consultations with various political parties, state administration and other stakeholders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the mainstream political parties had urged the team to order simultaneous elections for the state assembly and Lok Sabha.
The parties had said that “uncertainty” has been created without an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.
The parties had emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir is without an elected government and in the absence of an elected government, “uncertainty in the state is deepening day-by-day and dissatisfaction among a large section of people is increasing. The only effective response to this situation is to initiate a democratic process and hold elections to Assembly and Lok Sabha simultaneously. Any delay to do so will hamper the process of improvement in the situation”.
Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Ashok Lavasa, Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena, Director General ECI Dilip Kumar, ADG Sheyphali Sharan, Director Nikhil Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer J&K Shailendra Kumar were present during the meeting.
(With PTI inputs)