The Election Commission will visit Kashmir in the next week to take stock of the preparations before the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will hold several meetings from August 8 to 10 to take stock of the election preparations in Jammu and Kashmir Valley.
According to Election Commission sources, on August 8 and 9, the three commissioners and top officials of the commission will hold a meeting with political parties, Chief Electoral Officer and administrative and police officials of other districts regarding the deployment of security forces, movement, election preparations in Jammu. The Commission will remain in Srinagar from the afternoon of August 9 to the evening of August 10.
According to sources, if everything goes as planned and as expected, the election program can be announced any day after the completion of Amarnath Yatra on August 19. According to highly placed sources associated with the Commission, it is a big challenge for the government, security forces and administration to conduct the assembly elections due to terrorist incidents in Jammu division and Kashmir valley.
After the Lok Sabha elections were held peacefully and enthusiastically and record voting took place, there has been a rise in terrorist incidents in the last month. However, the Supreme Court has ordered to hold elections in the state before September 30.
The Election Commission has taken a step forward towards holding assembly elections in four states including Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission has sent letters to the Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer of the four states, warning them about the posting and transfers of officers. It is a regular exercise before elections that it is necessary and mandatory to transfer officers posted for more than three years or officers posted in their home district who are directly involved in the election conduct process. In this regard, the Election Commission has ordered the Chief Secretaries and CEOs of Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory to complete this exercise and submit a report.