The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections will be likely held alongside the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, there were talks of the Jammu and Kashmir elections being held in November; however, this has been ruled out since the Election Commission (EC) did not begin the poll preparations.
Availability of adequate security personnel is the key concern for EC. Therefore, polls in the Union Territory could instead be phased alone or along with adjoining states in the Lok Sabha election calendar to ensure overall adequate availability of personnel in the region.
J&K ready for elections when EC is ready: LG
On Monday, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha told DD News that the administration in the union territory was ready to hold assembly elections whenever the EC decided.
The wait for an elected government only got longer for Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under President’s rule since December 19, 2018. The last assembly election in the erstwhile state was held in November 2014.
In fact, while the Lok Sabha polls were held in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, the EC did not schedule assembly elections in the Union Territory because of security concerns. Meanwhile, the panchayat elections are also due in Jammu and Kashmir and are expected to be scheduled in December.
Centre to introduce 4 J&K bills
Hardly any poll-related activities have been initiated in the Union Territory following the revision of the electoral rolls early this year. Typically, electoral processes begin about three months before the actual elections. In case of Jammu and Kashmir, security concerns are the key determinant and require consultations between the EC and the Home Ministry.
On Wednesday, the Centre will introduce four bills related to the state in the Lok Sabha. These bills are the J&K Reorganisation Bill for reserving three seats in the Assembly for the Kashmiri migrants and refugees of the Pakistan-occupied J&K, J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill, and the Constitution of J&K Scheduled Caste Order and Scheduled Tribe Order bills.
