The protracted delay in conducting polls has caused widespread resentment among the people. Though the Centre has passed the buck to ECI arguing the responsibility for holding elections lies with the latter, political parties take this explanation with pinch of a salt, writes Riyaz Wani
During his visit to Jammu on June 6, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri highlighted the progress made in Jammu and Kashmir, attributing it to improved law and order and security situations. Puri also emphasized the significant infrastructure development in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A. However, when asked about the Assembly elections, Puri vaguely mentioned that the region is going through a transition phase, leaving the decision up to the people themselves.
Jammu and Kashmir has been without an Assembly since November 2018 when the legislative assembly was dissolved by the then-governor Satyapal Malik. The imposition of governor’s rule in June 2018 followed the BJP’s withdrawal from the PDP-BJP coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti.
The last Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir took place in 2014. The current Assembly term was originally set to end in 2020 but was extended by the central government in 2019. Despite this extension, the central government has not yet announced a date for the next Assembly elections in the union territory.
After fresh delimitation last year, the new Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has 114 seats, of which 24 are in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Of the rest 90 where elections could be held, 47 are in the Kashmir Valley and the rest 43 in the Jammu region.
The BJP public outreach
The BJP recently organized a series of rallies in Jammu and Kashmir to showcase what it perceives as the achievements of its nine-year rule at the Centre. The party highlighted unprecedented development in the region, but conspicuously avoided addressing the pressing question of holding Assembly polls.
Considering the fresh delimitation that gave six more seats to Jammu, the BJP is likely to play a dominant role in the elected government in J&K in future. So its reluctance to hold polls in the union territory is seen as intriguing by many.
The party argues that the responsibility for holding elections lies with the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, the local parties take the BJP’s defence with a pinch of salt, accusing the party itself of delaying the polls.
