Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections soon? EC sets ball rolling on polls amid PM Modi’s two-day visit

In a development potentially setting the stage for holding the elections in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission of India on Thursday wrote to the Chief Electoral Officers of the poll-bound states and UTs, asking them to complete the special summary revision of electoral rolls by August 20.

The Indian Express, citing sources, reported that the EC wrote to the state CEOs, including those of Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday initiating the process of updating the electoral roll. The publication of the final electoral roll would be done by August 20, as per the schedule, and the cut-off date for enrolling as an elector in these states and UT would be July 1, the IE report cited an EC source as saying.

Notably, the Supreme Court, while upholding the abrogation of Article 370 last year, had ordered the EC to hold Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections by September 30. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said earlier this month that the poll panel would start the process of conducting the elections “very soon”.

In his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the formation of the new NDA government at the Centre, Prime MInister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that preparations for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir have begun. The people of Jammu and Kashmir elect their representatives at the local level, through them you find ways to solve problems, what can be better than this? Therefore, the preparations for the Assembly elections have also started,” PM Modi said.

He further added that the time wasn’t far when the people of Jammu and Kashmir will elect its new government through their votes. “That day will also come soon, when Jammu and Kashmir will once again make its future better as a state.”

The Prime Minister had spoken of the restoration of statehood and holding of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir earlier as well. Speaking to news agency PTI ahead of the Lok Sabha elections this year, Modi said that the government was committed to restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and was working towards it.

“The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it. We are working very hard to create the right conditions so that it can be done expeditiously,” he told PTI.

Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status when it was bifurcated into two Union territories in 2019.