Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Wednesday that administration in Jammu and Kashmir has been told to ensure free, fair and transparent polls for the coming parliamentary elections.
However, different delegations of some political parties met CEC including the regional parties like National Conference and advocated for simultaneous polls in Jammu and Kashmir for assembly and parliamentary elections.
It is in place to mention that Jammu and Kashmir is waiting for assembly elections since June 2018, when BJP-PDP government collapsed due to the withdrawal of support by BJP. Most of the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are waiting for assembly elections so that they can galvanise their cadres on the ground.
During his recent J&K visit, CEC said 11,629 polling stations with an average 747 voters per polling station will be set up in the Union Territory, where 77,290 voters are above 85 years of age, including 2886 being more than 100 years.
“We have been visiting different parts of the country to review poll preparedness and this was our last visit. We met leaders of various national and regional political parties, law enforcement agencies, chief secretary and DGP, and had detailed deliberations,” CEC said. He said directions were passed for ensuring peaceful and temptation-free elections and also for ensuring maximum turnout of the voters.
He said there are 86.9 lakh voters including 44.34 lakh men and 42.55 lakh women registered in Jammu and Kashmir. The number also included 67,400 persons with disabilities and 158 transgenders.
The CEC said a total of 47 interstate check posts and 385 internal police checkpoints will be set up and manned round-the-clock as part of strict vigil on inter-state and international borders. Directions have also been passed for keeping a watch on the uncharted flights.
Talking to reporters here at the end of three-day long tour of Jammu and Kashmir to review poll preparedness, he requested the voters and the political parties to enthusiastically take part in the “festival of democracy”, assuring peaceful and inducement-free elections with “level playing field” for all the contesting parties.
Amid submission of a report by former President Ram Nath Kovind panel about ‘one nation, one election’, Jammu and Kashmir parties are waiting that this may start from the UT of J&K by holding both parliamentary and assembly elections.