New Delhi, May 25 – Buoyed by the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission will “very soon” begin the process of holding assembly polls in the Union Territory, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Saturday.
In an interview with PTI Videos, Kumar emphasized that the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve their own government. When asked about the voter turnout and the possibility of imminent assembly elections, Kumar expressed his encouragement from the robust participation in the parliamentary polls.
“It’s music to my ears. People — youth, women — are happily turning out in large numbers to vote. The roots of democracy are being further strengthened, and people are actively participating,” he said. “They deserve their government. We will initiate that process very soon … we are very encouraged to move forward with this,” Kumar added.
Back in March, while announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections, Kumar noted that conducting assembly and parliamentary elections simultaneously in Jammu and Kashmir was not practical due to logistical and security challenges.
Whenever the assembly elections are held, they will be the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, which led to the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. The electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir typically spans over a month.
Following a delimitation exercise, the number of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir has increased from 83 to 90, excluding those allocated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In December, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to conduct assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30.
