Ready for Assembly polls, CEO tells ECI

JAMMU: The state administration is completely ready to conduct Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir ‘anytime’, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been apprised, courtesy J&K Chief Electoral Officer Shailendra Kumar.

The ECI had called CEO Shailendra Kumar to New Delhi on Friday where elaborative discussions on holding assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the State were held.

On Sunday, Kumar said that he has briefed ECI on poll-related arrangements and conveyed readiness to conduct elections anytime.

“I briefed Election Commission of India on poll related arrangements during the meeting of Chief Electoral Officers held on January 11 and conveyed our readiness to hold the elections anytime.
“It is now for election commission of India to take a final call,” Kumar said.

On Friday, Kumar had briefed the election commission of India on the prevailing situation and a conducive atmosphere for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously in the state.

The Commission had wanted reports from the CEO, the State Government and the Union Home Ministry before coming to a final decision on the timing of the polls.

While Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Governor Satya Pal Malik have in their recent statements had made it clear that they were ready for polls, putting the ball in ECI’s court to finalise the dates, with CEO Kumar’s conformity with both Singh and Malik, a decision on the assembly is expected soon now.

Amid speculations over the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Governor, Satya Pal Malik today said that the state administration is “ready for the elections” in the state but maintained that the call in this regard “should be taken” by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

On Friday, Governor Malik had said that as and when the Election Commission of India (ECI) decides to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the state administration is ready for that.

“The decision to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir is to be taken by the ECI and whenever they tell us to hold elections here, we are ready for that,” he had said, while talking to media persons after attending the oath ceremony of the sarpanches of Jammu region.

Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, earlier this month in the Parliament, had said that the central government will have no objection if the Election Commission of India wants to hold Assembly polls in J&K along with Lok Sabha elections.

“The central government is not opposed to the idea of holding the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections along with the general elections in 2019, if the Election Commission decides so,” he had said, adding, the Centre was ready to provide security forces whenever the Election Commission holds elections.

The ECI had, in November last, said that the fresh elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held within the next six months, but did not rule out the possibility of holding the state polls before the Lok Sabha polls due this year.