Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 18: The Election Commission of India (ECI) today said that State administration is fully prepared for the conduct of polls in Jammu and Kashmir and made it clear that elections won’t interfere with relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath, this evening told a press conference after daylong meeting that with the political parties, local administration and police, that the State administration is full ready for the conduct of polls that are due by the end of this year.
To a question on the preparedness of administration for the forthcoming assembly elections in the State, Sampath said: “The preparedness of the administration for the conduct of elections is thorough. They are fully prepared.” The Election Commissioner Harikrishna Brahma who was sitting next to CEC quipped: “They are 100 percent ready, from top to bottom.”
Brahma made it clear that the Election Commission does not want polls to interfere with the relief work. “Whatever we decide, Election Commission will not interfere in relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims of Jammu and Kashmir. The relief and rehabilitation should continue in a better way. We requested our officers that we will not go into relief and rehabilitation. We have Jharkhand issue also. All issues will be discussed and a decision will be announced”, said Brahma.
Sampath, who was accompanied by Election Commissioners Brahma and Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi this morning arrived in Srinagar and met representatives of various political parties, administration and local police on the conduct of polls in the State.
The CEC said it will hold further consultations in New Delhi on timing of Assembly polls in the flood-ravaged State. “We will be getting back to Delhi. We have to make some more consultations before we come to final conclusion about the scheduling of the election. We will be announcing it as soon as we make up our mind,” he added.
Sampath said that the ECI today held long discussions with the stakeholders of the polls. “We have had daylong consultation with all concerned. We have noted their views vis-a-vis conduct of elections. Quite a few of them were mentioning that elections be held on schedule, there shall not be any delay, while some others were also mentioning that holding of elections will interfere with relief and rehabilitation,” he added.
The Chief Election Commissioner said besides meeting the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and State Home Secretary, they were briefed by Divisional Commissioners, District Development Commissioners and Superintendents of Police through video conference about the relief and rehabilitation measures undertaken in the affected areas.
Sampath said that Secretary Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation gave him detailed briefing about the damage caused by the floods and progress of relief and rehabilitation. “We have got to the details about how much infrastructure was damaged, how many people have gone back to homes and how many are living outside their homes”, he added.
The CEC said that the Commissioner Secretary Power also briefed him about the power situation in the State. He said that they were also given details regarding the election infrastructure. “We also got the details about the number of pollings stations damaged, the number of polling stations restored and what alternate arrangements will be made,” he added.
Sampath said police officers appraised the ECI about the security situation in their respective districts.
Earlier, soon after his arrival Secretary Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Vinod Koul, gave a 40 minute detailed presentation to the ECI about the damage caused by last month’s devastative floods in the State. He gave graphic details to the ECI about the floods and losses it caused. He also told the ECI about suffering of the people and gave detailed account of the homeless people and their sufferings.
The ECI also met political parties from the State which reiterated their stand on the timing of polls in the State. At least 25 of the 46 Assembly constituencies in Kashmir valley have been affected to varied degrees due to the floods in the first week of September, prompting the ruling National Conference to call for delaying the polls in order to focus on the relief and rehabilitation of the affected people and areas of the state.
“Time is not ripe for conduct of polls in the Sate as people are trying to rebuild their lives which were badly affected by the floods,” National Conference general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said here after the meeting the Election Commission. However, ruling coalition partner Congress and opposition parties including PDP have called for holding polls before the end of this year as per schedule.
Pradesh Congress Committee Vice President Ghulam Nabi Monga said his party they impressed upon the commission that delay in conducting polls would necessitate imposition of Governor’s rule in the State. “Governor’s rule is not substitute to the democratic process. Only elected representatives can serve people better … the human tragedy that has befell the state due to floods needs peoples’ representatives for providing them succour,” Monga said.
The PDP spokesman Naeem Akhtar said his party reiterated its earlier stand about holding elections in time. “We told the commission that the relief and rehabilitation work can go on simultaneously by handing it over to a team of officers from the Centre and state,” he added.
The CPI (M) State Secretary, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said: “While focus has to be on relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims, the democratic process should not get affected as it is only the elected representatives who can deliver on this front.”
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