EC yet to decide on simultaneous polls in Jammu & Kashmir

Srinagar: Even three days after a team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) visited Jammu and Kashmir, it has kept its decision on the issue of holding simultaneous parliamentary and Assembly elections on the hold, as they have decided to meet the top officials of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) before taking the final call on it.

However, a senior state official told The Sunday Guardian that they are already holding an exercise of mass consultation on the ground to send final requirement of security to MHA for holding simultaneous elections in the state. He said that police and other heads of various security and intelligence agencies are also holding joint consultations over security cover in Kashmir valley for the polls.

The Governor’s administration, according to some media reports, has favoured deferment of Assembly elections in the state due to the security situation prevailing in the Valley, especially in South Kashmir. In light of such reports, the Election Commission has decided to hold fresh consultations to have a “fresh assessment of the ground situation with MHA before taking the final call whether to hold Assembly elections simultaneously with parliamentary polls.”According to the reports, state’s Chief Secretary has given the final assessment of the ground situation that Assembly elections could be held after a few months of holding Lok Sabha elections as the security agencies have given their report that they need a lot of additional paramilitary forces in Kashmir valley to hold polls.