New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar at an event in New Delhi on May 5, 2024 (Photo: PTI)
The Election Commission (EC) on Monday said it will start holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir very soon.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that the European Commission was very enthusiastic about the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections, which showed the people’s keenness to participate in the democratic process .
“We will start the process of assembly elections in J&K very soon. We are very excited. It is one of the most satisfying moments,” the CEC said.
The voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir was 58.58 percent, the highest in four decades. The voter turnout in the elections to the Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir Valley was 51.05 per cent, he said.
Announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections in March, Kumar had said holding simultaneous Assembly and Assembly elections was not practical due to logistical and security reasons.
When parliamentary elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir, they will be the first since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019 and the division of the erstwhile state into two union territories.
The election exercise in Jammu and Kashmir is usually spread over a month.
After a delimitation exercise, the number of seats in the union territory has increased from 83 to 90, excluding the seats allotted to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In December, the Supreme Court had directed the poll panel to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir before September 30.
First print: June 3, 2024 | 4:51 PM IST
