The Election Commission of India (ECI) looks set to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) next month in compliance with the Supreme Court's September 30 deadline, unless security agencies raise red flags.
If the elections do happen, people will vote for the J&K government in ten years' time. An Election Commission of India (ECI) team will arrive in J&K later this week.
This is a crucial moment for J&K, five years ago, Article 370 was abrogated, Ladakh was made a separate Union Territory (UT) and the state's status was transformed into a Union Territory with a legislative body district.
Violence has declined in J&K since then, as evidenced by figures released by the government in Parliament last month, underpinning the company's “success story” of a rapid return to normalcy.
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This year's Lok Sabha elections saw a record turnout of 58.4%, with J&K employees showing their eagerness to vote. They are now eager to cast their votes in the J&K elections.
Of course, if the Lok Sabha polls can be held smoothly in J&K, the news from Delhi's power corridors can also hold the Assembly polls. The peaceful conduct of Amarnath Yatra is another example.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Srinagar in June this year and delivered a historic speech at the Bakshi Stadium, saying that the day for elections in Johnson & Johnson is not far away. Home Minister Amit Shah said in Parliament that the government is committed to holding elections in J&K by September 30 as demanded by the SC.
obstacle
The ‘J’ (Jammu) of J&K suddenly imploded with terror activities against security forces and all signs point to state-sponsored Pakistani infiltration. This could be the reason if the J&K elections are postponed.
However, senior government officials have also made it clear that these cross-border-sponsored terrorist attacks were intended to undermine the election in Johnson & Johnson and send a message to the world that Johnson & Johnson is far from back to normal.
This in itself is a sufficient reason for the Center to push for elections in J&K to defeat Pakistan’s evil agenda. The government has removed two senior officials of the Border Security Force, which guards Jammu region's international border with Pakistan, from their posts in a bid to hold them accountable. More troops have also been deployed to strengthen the anti-terror network in Jammu region.
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Apart from the Jammu riots, the past five years have also seen success on the security front, with stone-pelting incidents and organized strikes falling to zero in 2023 and so far this year, compared to a total of 1,380 such incidents reported in 2018 .
Terrorist attacks dropped from 228 in 2018 to 46 last year, to 11 as of July 11 this year; encounters or counter-terrorism operations also dropped significantly from 189 in 2018 to 48 last year, to 11 as of July 11 this year From the 24th until the end of the day. people.
The elections in J&K in September this year are like sending the best message to J&K to return to normalcy. A return to democracy and competitive politics in J&K will be true integration of the region.
logistics
The availability of troops in J&K in the area is not an issue in September as a large number of troops have been deployed in the area during the Amaranth Yatra that ends on August 19. Previous elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The three states are likely to hold elections in October-November once the army is relieved of poll duty in J&K.
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The last date for final declaration of electoral rolls in J&K is August 20, while Maharashtra has postponed it to August 30 and Haryana and Jharkhand to August 27. The ECI has asked states and UTs to redeploy election duty officers from their districts by August 20.
The most important question now is whether the security agencies will sanction the elections to be held in J&K in September this year as the final decision of the ECI will depend on the reports of the Union Home Ministry and the state police.
J&K is closely monitoring the ECI team's visit to the region from August 8 to 10.
