‘No delay on part of EC due to lot of changes’
*Online cash transfers to be under vigil in UT
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 13: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said today that a decision on separate or simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be taken after review of security situation and feedback even as he maintained that there was no delay on part of the Election Commission in holding Assembly polls in the UT.
Addressing media persons here before winding up three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to assess preparedness of the UT for five seats of Lok Sabha and whether Assembly elections can be held simultaneously, Kumar was of the view that there was no delay on the part of Election Commission to hold Assembly polls as necessary Legislative processes were completed by December 2023 only.
Last Assembly elections in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir were held in November-December 2014. There has been no Government in J&K since June 2018 when the BJP withdrew Government to Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP Government.
“We will take a decision on simultaneous conduct of Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir after fresh review of security situation and feedback from stakeholders,” the CEC flanked by other top officials of the Election Commission said.
Asserting that the Commission is aware about political vacuum in Jammu and Kashmir, the CEC said they know their responsibilities and the elections should be held sooner. The Commission is equally concerned about the Assembly and Parliamentary elections, he added.
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Kumar said they met representatives of national and regional political parties during their visit in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Questions were raised about the delay in conduct of Assembly elections but I want to say that there was no delay on part of the Election Commissioner,” he asserted.
He said Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act came into effect in 2019 followed by constitution of a Delimitation Commission which completed its exercise in 2022, recommending an increase of Assembly seats from 107 to 114 including 24 seats for residents of Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK).
“Now we have 90 Assembly seats including nine seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes. There was no chance of holding elections as there was a dissonance between the J&K Reorganization Act and the delimitation. We have to bring them together and that happened in December 2023 in the form of the J&K Reorganization (Amendment) Act,” he said.
Kumar said the amended Act also included the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission to reserve two seats for migrants including a woman and another provision of one nomination for displaced persons from PoJK.
“The changes happened in December 2023 and we are in March…We know our responsibilities and we are also aware that there should be no political vacuum and the elections should be held sooner,” he said, adding it is just three months old and the season has just begun.
Referring to his deliberations with stakeholders during his visit to J&K, he said the Commission reviewed whether the two elections will be held together or one after another. “We will decide after reviewing the security situation and taking the feedback.”
“We will come together and take input from the political parties, all the District Magistrates, IG, DIGs, SSPs and the senior officers of the UT Government and paramilitary forces. We have taken feedback from everybody about how much security is required. Each candidate needs security cover (in J&K) so it (holding elections together) will have security implications,” the CEC said
However, he said, the Election Commission is ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and will ensure free and fair polls across the country. We request voters in the country including Jammu and Kashmir to enthusiastically take part in the ‘festival of democracy, he added.
He said the priority of the Commission is to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. “The level of security differs from State to State. There is money (issues), security problems, interior areas, LWE (left wing extremism). We will ensure adequate security to ensure free and fair polls.”
He assured that adequate security will be provided to all candidates and Central forces will be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir.
Kumar said strict vigil will be maintained on online cash transfers through wallets in Jammu and Kashmir. A Social Media Cell will be established in all districts in order to respond to fake news in real time.
People above 85 years and those with disability will be provided voting at home facility in J-K, he added.
On a political party leader’s remarks that he was not allowed to meet the Commission, he said the party is facing a dispute within and once the dispute is settled, the Commission is open to meet anyone as it helps for making the feedback system strong.
“This formula is for the entire country. So we meet national parties, recognized State parties and we invite them in alphabetical order and this is all across the country.
“The party (JKNPP) is under dispute and there is no one who we can meet. The movement dispute is over, claims and counter claims are settled, we will definitely meet them happily. We want to meet every recognized party and listen to them as it helps us to get our feedback system strong,” Kumar said.
The CEC said 20 special camps will be set up in Jammu, Udhampur and other places including Delhi to facilitate Kashmiri migrant Pandits to vote, while 76876 service voters from J&K, posted outside the Union Territory, will be provided postal ballots to exercise their franchise.
“Voting is a democratic right and duty,” he said, adding the Commission has launched a massive awareness campaign under ‘Turnout Implementation Plan’ across the country to improve voting percentage in the Lok Sabha elections from the present 67 percent.
Meanwhile, as many as 86.9 lakh electorate including 3.4 lakh first-time voters are eligible to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
11,629 polling stations with an average 747 voters per polling station will be set up in the Union Territory, where 77,290 voters are above 85 years of age, including 2886 being more than 100 years.
There are 86.9 lakh voters including 44.34 lakh men and 42.55 lakh women registered in Jammu and Kashmir. The number also included 67,400 persons with disabilities and 158 transgenders.
The electoral gender ratio of women voters has increased from 945 in 2019 to 954 in 2024, he said, adding there are 16 assembly constituencies where the electoral gender ratio is more than 1000.
While 1.56 lakh women electors are between 18-19 years, the new female voters stand at 1.35 lakhs.
Against a total of 11629 polling stations, 9307 are located in rural areas and 2322 in urban areas, Kumar said, and added that 52 per cent of the polling stations (5814) have the facility of webcasting and 267 will be model polling stations. There will be 93 all-women-managed polling stations and 83 by persons with disabilities.
A total of 47 interstate check posts and 385 internal police checkpoints will be set up and manned round-the-clock as part of strict vigil on inter-state and international borders. Directions have also been passed for keeping a watch on the uncharted flights.
Referring to his meeting with political parties, the CEC said they demanded level playing field and no discrimination in providing security for campaigning.
Kumar said the demands and concerns of the political parties have been taken note of and strict instructions were given to the concerned officers so that no such complaint is raised ever again.
He said the officers were told to provide adequate security to senior political leaders in accordance with their threat perception so that they can freely campaign during the ensuing elections.
The officers were warned of strict action in case they fail to perform their duties and ensure level playing field to all parties without any discrimination.
“There is no place for violence, intimidation and threat to voters,” he said, directing immediate action against the culprits.
Meanwhile, Kumar announced sharing details of electoral bonds “in time” and asserted that the commission believed in complete transparency.
Kumar, who ended his nationwide visits ahead of the Lok Sabha election schedule announcement, was asked whether the ECI would be disclosing the details of the electoral bonds purchased since April 12, 2019 following a direction from the Supreme Court.
The State Bank of India (SBI) has issued electoral bonds worth Rs 16,518 crore in 30 tranches since the inception of the scheme in 2018.
“The SBI was supposed to submit the data by March 12. They have given us the details in time. I will go back and look at the data (and) would definitely disclose it in time,” Kumar said.
He said the Commission believed only “in disclosure, disclosure and disclosure” to ensure high standards of transparency.
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