EC Team In J&K To Meet With Political Parties And Assess Assembly Poll Preparation
Srinagar, 08-08-2024: A team from the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, has arrived in Jammu and Kashmir to assess the preparations for the upcoming assembly elections. The team, which includes Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S.S. Sandhu, began its review on Thursday at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). The ECI will be engaging with representatives from various political parties, including the National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), BJP, Congress, and Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party.
The Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir, P.K. Pole, has facilitated this visit by sending invitations to the political parties, and scheduling their time slots for discussions. In addition to the political party meetings, the ECI will conduct a comprehensive review with senior officials from the police and civil administration. This includes consultations with district election officers, police superintendents, the chief secretary, and the director general of police.
The visit, which runs through August 10, will conclude in Jammu where the ECI will hold a final review meeting with enforcement agencies and a press conference to brief the media on their findings and the overall review process. This inspection comes ahead of the Supreme Court’s September 30 deadline for conducting the elections in the Union Territory.
In March, during a previous visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Election Commissioner Kumar had assured that elections would be scheduled soon, following the appointment of the two additional Election Commissioners. He emphasized the positive impact of the high voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections as an encouraging sign for the forthcoming assembly elections.
Overall, this visit aims to ensure that all aspects of election preparedness are thoroughly reviewed and that the democratic process continues smoothly in the Union Territory.
