Reluctant to hold assembly polls on schedule in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre indicated to the Election Commission on Wednesday that it favoured a postponement of the poll process since the situation was still not conducive in the backdrop of the Amarnath land controversy.
The Centre?s view was conveyed by the home ministry in a meeting which senior officials including home secretary Madhukar Gupta had with Election Commission officials on the subject of security arrangements for conducting polls in the state.
According to government sources, the home secretary is understood to have told the EC that the situation was yet to settle down in the state, which saw violent protests including the killing of a senior Hurriyat leader in the wake of the Amarnath land row.
The full commission headed by chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami, which held a two hour-long meeting with state chief secretary SS Kapoor and director general of police Kuldeep Khoda earlier, asked the home ministry officials to come up with appropriate reasons for postponing elections in the state.
The election commission has already held discussions with political parties on the matter. The home ministry sources said sought some more time to give a detailed presentation to the Commission which has been indicating of holding early polls in the state.
