Election Commission hints at timeline for J-K assembly polls in directive.

The Election Commission of India has instructed the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer officers out of their home districts, a standard practice before conducting elections.

This directive is significant as it suggests that assembly polls in the Union Territory are on the horizon. Similar instructions have been given to the chief secretaries of Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand, the three states gearing up for assembly elections later this year.

However, sources indicate that the assembly elections in J-K might take place separately from the other three states.

Since June 19, 2018, Jammu and Kashmir has been under Central rule following the collapse of a coalition government led by the People’s Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti after its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew. Manoj Sinha is currently the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of the UT.

Various BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have reiterated that assembly polls will take place in the UT. PM Modi has also promised to restore the statehood status of J-K.

During the Budget 2024 debate in Lok Sabha, National Conference leader and Srinagar Member of Parliament (MP) Aga Ruhullah Mehdi accused the Union government of depriving the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their democratic rights.

‘I am not here to plead for assembly polls. The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to establish a democratic government by September. The election process has not yet commenced,’ stated Mehdi in Lok Sabha.

Last year, the Supreme Court mandated the poll panel to conduct assembly elections in the UT by September 30, 2024, during a hearing on the Article 370 abrogation case.

First Assembly Election Post Article 370 Abrogation

Whenever the assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir, it will be the first polls since the Article 370 provisions were revoked, and the state was divided into two Union Territories in August 2019.

Following a delimitation exercise, the number of assembly seats in the UT has increased from 83 to 90, excluding those allocated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir typically spans over a month.

The poll panel adheres to a consistent policy where officers directly involved in election management in a poll-bound state or Union Territory are not stationed in their home districts or long-serving areas.

Routine Exercise

In its July 31 directive, the Election Commission of India stated that the terms of the current legislative assemblies of Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra end on November 3, 2024, January 5, 2025, and November 26, 2024, respectively, with elections in these states due in 2024.

“Furthermore, the election for the legislative assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is also forthcoming,” as per the EC letter.

The poll panel typically issues instructions regarding officer transfers ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Recent directives include updating electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir and the three states.

In June, the poll panel began accepting applications for allotting ‘common symbols’ from registered unrecognized parties in the Union Territory.