While the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the poll schedule for HP elections and are in the process of announcing Gujarat Election dates besides holding MCD polls in NCR Delhi in the coming days, the UT of J&K does not seem to be figuring anywhere in the itinerary of the GoI or the Election Commission.
This was stated by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and Chairman Aam Aadmi Party, J&K State Co-ordination Committee. He said that while the media reports suggested that the poll bugle for Gujarat is likely to be sounded anytime in the near future, not a word is being uttered about the possible dates for holding elections in the ‘incarcerated and downgraded’ state of J&K. He said that while the elections in the aforesaid states are being held on time, it was shocking that even the ECI seemed indifferent towards the restoration of democracy in J&K suffering from dictatorial, proxy rule of BJP for the last over four years. He was addressing public meetings in Kashirah and Ballian villages in Udhampur East constituency today.
Recalling the visit of full Election Commission headed by CEC to Jammu in February, 2019, Mr. Harsh Dev said that all political parties except BJP had favoured simultaneous polls for Assembly and Parliament elections to be held in April-May, 2019. The ECI however chose to go by the advice of BJP and declined elections in 2019. Several announcements of early Assembly Elections in J&K made thereafter had also met the same fate. It’s now four years that elections are being denied in J&K on one pretext or the other and BJP allowed to run its proxy rule in circumvention of the constitutional guarantees and even rulings of the Supreme Court given on the subject from time to time. So much is the influence of the BJP govt on the poll bodies that the date of publication of Final electoral rolls was changed from October 25 to November 25 only to evade and avoid the Assembly Elections in J&K alongwith Himachal and Gujarat being held in November–December this year.
Reiterating the need for the early elections to J&K Legislative Assembly in J&K, Mr. Singh said that any delay in this regard would not only amount to subversion of democracy but could also lead to further alienation. The people could not be deprived of their democratic rights in the state only for the political inexpediencies of the ruling party at the centre by taking to freakish excuses, said Mr. Singh.
He said that a full time elected govt was a must to deal with the armed insurgency in the erstwhile state besides coping with the multiple issues confronting the UT.
The militancy which had erupted in early 90s in J&K had gradually subsided after the formation of an elected govt in the state. It had almost died down during popular govts but unfortunately got revived during the centre’s proxy rule. Any delay therefore in handing over power to the sons of soil through free and fair elections could prove counterproductive and further complicate the already volatile situation in the UT said Harsh.
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