Election Commission will visit Jammu and Kashmir next week

Upcoming Election Commission Visit to Jammu and Kashmir

The Election Commission of India, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir from August 8-10 to assess the region’s readiness for assembly elections. This visit precedes the Supreme Court’s September 30 deadline for completing the election process in the Union Territory. Kumar will be accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S.S. Sandhu.

Previous Assurances and Recent Developments

In March, Kumar, then the sole member of the three-person commission, visited Jammu and Kashmir and assured political leaders and residents that assembly elections would be conducted soon. At that time, two commission positions were vacant, but they were filled shortly before the Lok Sabha elections were announced on March 16. Following a record voter turnout in those elections, Kumar highlighted the high engagement as a positive indicator for the upcoming assembly elections, stressing the need for continued democratic processes in the region.

Review and Preparations

During their visit to Srinagar, the commission is expected to first meet with political parties and conduct a review with the chief electoral officer and the central forces coordinator. They will also evaluate preparations with election officers, police superintendents across districts, as well as the chief secretary and director general of police. On August 10, the team will proceed to Jammu for additional review meetings with enforcement agencies and will hold a press conference to brief the media on the review process.

Context of Upcoming Elections

These forthcoming assembly elections will be the first since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganization of the former state into two Union Territories in 2019. The electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir usually takes about a month.

Following a recent delimitation exercise, the number of assembly seats has increased from 83 to 90, excluding those allocated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Supreme Court has mandated that assembly elections be held by September 30 of this year.

Preparatory Measures

In preparation for these elections, the Election Commission has instructed the Union Territory administration to transfer officers from their home districts, a common practice to ensure impartiality. Additionally, the commission has ordered an update of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir and other states and has invited unrecognized parties in the Union Territory to apply for ‘common symbols’ as of June.