All-Party Delegation From J&K Meets EC, Seeks Early Polls

Srinagar: An all-party delegation from Jammu and Kashmir, who met the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday, has been assured that elections will be held soon in the region, the delegation members said. 

The delegation was led by Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, who was accompanied by leaders from several political parties, including People’s Democratic Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Panther’s Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist).  

Hasnain Masoodi, NC leader and Member of Parliament from J&K’s Anantnag constituency, told NewsClick that the members put forth all major concerns of the people from the Union territory whilst urging them to hold elections soon.

“We told ECI that it is a pressing issue and hence the responsibility of the body to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The ECI heard the members with patience and told us that they were on it,” Masoodi said. 

The Opposition leaders arrived in New Delhi from Jammu and held a meeting with national Opposition leaders, including Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Pawar and Sanjay Singh at Delhi’s Constitution Club before heading to the meeting with ECI.

Thursday’s visit comes days after regional political parties held an all-party meet in Jammu where they resolved to approach the national leaders and ECI.

Senior AAP leader Taranjit Singh Tony said the delegation members argued that when the Prime Minister of India, the Home Minister and Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir have claimed that the situation is “normal”, then why are elections not being held. 

“The Election Commission has assured us that the elections will be held soon as all preparations have been made whether it is the delimitation exercise or completion of electoral rolls,” he told NewsClick.

Tony said members also put forth the demand for restoration of statehood to J&K, as was promised by the Centre after abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A and bifurcation of J&K into two Union territories in August 2019. 

“I believe that no form of representation can be an alternative to the legislative Assembly. People are facing huge problems and the bureaucracy is not listening to them. The administration is running affairs arbitrarily,” Tony said. 

The delegation also submitted a memorandum to the ECI that was signed by members and several national leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, T R Baalu, Sharad Pawar, Sitaram Yechury and Sanjay Singh.

“Jammu and Kashmir has been without a legislative Assembly and an elected government for the last five years. In disregard of the letter and spirit of the Constitution, an unrepresentative and unaccountable bureaucracy is allowed to run the government to the discomfort and inconvenience of the general public,” the memorandum read.

The leaders, in the memorandum, said that Assembly elections would be the “first and important step towards restoration of all the constitutional rights guaranteed in the constitution of India and fulfilment of political aspiration” of the people of the region.