Srinagar, August 8: A high-level team from the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, arrived in Srinagar today for a critical two-day visit aimed at addressing the long-overdue assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The delegation includes Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
The visit commenced with meetings scheduled for August 8th, where the ECI team will engage with representatives from six major political parties: the National Conference, PDP, Congress, BJP, CPI(M), and the Panthers Party. These discussions will focus on gathering feedback and suggestions regarding the forthcoming assembly elections.
In the afternoon, the delegation will convene with Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police from all 20 districts of the Union Territory. Later in the day, the team will confer with Chief Electoral Officer P.K. Pole and other senior election officials.
On August 9th, the ECI team will meet with Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Secretary Atal Dullo and the Director General of Police. Following these meetings, they will proceed to Jammu to consult with various security agencies.
A press conference will be held in Jammu to review the outcomes of the meetings and outline the next steps for the election process.
This visit is pivotal as it precedes the Supreme Court’s September 30 deadline for conducting elections in the Union Territory. The last assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014, and since June 2018, the region has been under President’s rule. Political leaders are calling for the restoration of statehood and prompt elections to address the current political vacuum
