Election Commission likely to announce poll schedule for J&K today

The poll process is likely to be completed by the end of October and an elected government will take office before the year's end

Srinagar: As the Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the schedule for the J&K Assembly elections on Friday, the uncertainty finally may be over regarding the restoration of the democratic process in the Union Territory.

All regional and national political parties in J&K have welcomed the decision to hold the Assembly elections in line with the directions of the Supreme Court.

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The poll process is likely to be completed by the end of October and an elected government will take office before the year’s end. Regional National Conference headed by former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah has ruled out any pre-poll alliance with any political party asserting that the NC would form the next government on its own in the UT.

Peoples Democratic Party headed by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has decided to fight the Assembly elections without any pre-poll alliance after the PDP opposed the NC in the Lok Sabha elections. These two regional political parties are likely to face each other during the Assembly polls as well. The BJP did not field any candidate for the Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir.

The party is expected to field its candidates for the Assembly elections in both the Valley and the Jammu divisions. Congress has already announced its decision to field candidates in both the divisions of the UT although the party has kept its options open for both pre-poll and post-poll alliance in J&K.

Smaller political players like the Apni Party headed by Syed Altaf Bukhari, the Peoples Conference (PC) headed by Sajad Gani Lone and the Panthers Party are expected to field candidates in constituencies of influence. There are 90 Assembly seats in J&K out of which 74 are general constituencies, nine are reserved for ST candidates and seven for SC candidates.

The overwhelming participation of voters in the Lok Sabha polls has already set the stage for a large participation of people in the Assembly elections in J&K. The Lt Governor-headed administration is faced with the challenges of providing security to all the contestants and also ensuring a level playing field by securing venues for election rallies and campaigns.

J&K came under the Lt. Governor’s rule after 2018 when the BJP pulled out of the PDP-BJP ruling coalition headed by Mehbooba Mufti. On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated and the state was bifurcated into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh. Centre has promised restoration of statehood after the Assembly elections and the elected government would be in office to attend to issues of development and progress before statehood is restored in J&K.

Irrespective of who wins or loses the Assembly polls in J&K, the very holding of these elections would politically empower the common man as another big celebration of democracy is to be announced by the ECI in the day.