J&K Assembly election 2024: Just a few days ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, being held after almost a decade, the Election Commission is going all out to ensure increased participation in the upcoming Assembly polls.
It is learnt that the poll body has instructed the administration and security officials not to undertake unnecessary preventive detention of political leaders and workers and shift polling booths citing security concerns, Indian Express reported.
The EC has also asked the administration not to cancel rallies at the last minute – which was seen in past elections – to encourage participation of candidates.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu told officials while visiting J&K last month that preventive action should not be taken in a partisan manner and only those with a criminal history should be taken into detention, EC sources told IE.
This comes as in the past, leaders and workers of parties have been taken into preventive detention on the eve of polling.
Jammu and Kashmir is set to vote in the first Assembly elections in 10 years. Voting for the first phase will take place on September 18, and the second and third phases on September 25 and October 1, respectively. The counting of votes will be done on October 8.
These are the first Assembly elections in J&K since its special status was revoked after the abrogation of Article 370 and the state was divided into two Union territories – J&K and Ladakh – in 2019.