The office of State’s Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday said the meeting conveyed by it on August 2 will only discuss electoral verification program and special summary revision, putting speculations to rest that the election body has started preparation for next Assembly election in J&K.
The CEO’s office issued clarification after it was reportedthat the meeting has been convened to discuss Assembly elections. “It is herebyclarified for information of all concerned that the meeting notice issuedvide…is regarding electoral verification program and special summaryrevision-2020, which is an annual exercise undertaken by the ElectionCommission of India to update/verify electoral rolls in the country,” read thehandout issued by the CEO’s office.
As soon as the word about the Chief Electoral Officerconvening a meeting with district officials spread on Wednesday, speculationsstarted making rounds that the meeting has been convened to set the ballrolling for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
An official order said that the CEO Shailendra Kumar willhold a video-conference meeting with the 22 district election officers andother poll staffers on 2 August.
“The meeting will review the electors verificationprogramme, which allows residents to verify their names in the voters list, newregistrations, changes in voter details and corrections in the voter ID cards,leading to overall revision and purification of the electoral rolls of thestate,” the order said.
The Election Commission (EC) had earlier said that it woulddecide on the dates of the Assembly polls in the state after the Amarnath Yatraends on 15 August.
It had said the poll panel had unanimously decided that”holding of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir shall be consideredlater in this year” and that the EC will keep monitoring the situation inthe state regularly based on inputs from all necessary quarters, and willannounce the election schedule after the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra.
In a related development, the BJP on Wednesday appointed itsnational vice president Avinash Rai Khanna as the party’s election in-chargefor the forthcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
A statement issued by BJP said Khanna’s appointment aselection in-charge for the state was approved by party president and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah. Khanna will assume his new charge with immediate effect.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who is here for a partymembership drive, also said that his party’s demand to the Election Commissionis to hold the polls as soon as possible.
“When will elections be held in the state? Only theElection Commission can answer this question. However, our party has startedpreparations for the elections and our demand is that elections should be heldas soon as possible,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir was brought under Governor’s rule on 19June, 2018 after the BJP pulled out of the coalition government with the PDP.
The Governor kept the Assembly in suspended animation toallow time for cobbling of an alternative alliance for government formation inthe state. However, the Assembly was dissolved on 21 November last year amidstallegations of horse-trading and defections in the PDP for fresh governmentformation. With the passage of six months of Governor’s Rule, the state hasbeen under President’s Rule since January this year. As per the law, freshelections in the state should have been held within six months of dissolutionof the Assembly.