‘There is no indication from the Election Commission or Centre to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir’.
Srinagar
Chief Electoral officer of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday ordered special revision of electoral rolls for Srinagar and Jammu municipal corporation. The Chief Electoral officer said in his order that draft electoral rolls would be unveiled on 1 August this year and the final electoral rolls would be published on 25 August 2023.
It shows that the government is going to hold urban local body elections on time in Jammu and Kashmir. The government has given indication that they will hold panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir on schedule. With Assembly elections not in sight, political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, barring the BJP, have accused the BJP government of denying the right to elect their representatives for the Assembly to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Main political parties NC and PDP have also opposed the plan of the government to introduce the bill in Parliament to amend J&K re-organization to reserve two seats for Kashmiri pandits and one seat for both people who have come from PoK to Jammu. Both Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have said that they have no problem providing reservation to any unrepresented community, but such powers should not be given to the Lieutenant Governor, but to the elected government. Both these parties have accused the BJP for shrinking the political space for the mainstream Kashmiri leadership to operate, as there are no preparations for holding of Assembly elections here. “They will be conducting panchayat elections, municipal elections and also the election for parliamentary seats. But they are afraid to face the people in the Assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir. BJP is punishing the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their political benefits,” Farooq Abdullah told the media recently.
Meanwhile, the central government introduced two bills in Lok Sabha pertaining to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in Jammu and Kashmir. Amid sloganeering by the Opposition over the Manipur issue, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr Virendra Kumar introduced the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order Bill 2023, while Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda introduced the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill 2023.
The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order Bill 2023 seeks to include the Valmiki community as a synonym of Chura, Bhangi, Balmiki, and Mehtar in the list of Scheduled Castes of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill 2023 aims to revise the list of Scheduled Tribes of Jammu and Kashmir.
With no indication from the Election Commission or the central government to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, NC, PDP, Congress and other political parties are feeling frustrated and marginalized in Jammu and Kashmir.