The Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the security situation in Jammu Kashmir (J&K) is satisfactory enough for Assembly elections to be held, News 18 reported.
Amit Shah said that the decision, however, has to be taken by the Election Commission.
Speaking at News18’s ‘Gujarat Adhiveshan’ event, Amit Shah said, “I am hopeful elections will be conducted soon, but the decision has to be taken by the Election Commission. Delimitation has been completed, and now the poll body is correcting the voter list.”
So far as the security situation is concerned, it is satisfactory, he added.
A Delimitation Commission was set up by Modi-led Government in 2020 to redraw the electoral constituencies of J-K.
In December 2021, the Delimitation Panel, in its draft recommendation, proposed six additional seats for the Jammu region and one for Kashmir Valley. The commission has submitted its report and the Government has accepted all the changes.
The Election commission in August started preparing the electoral rolls which will be completed by November 25.
Jammu Kashmir has been without an elected government since June 2018, when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) broke its alliance with Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) forcing Mehbooba Mufti to resign as chief minister.
The state was headed by then Governor Satya Pal Malik, who dissolved the J&K Legislative Assembly on November 28, 2018, soon after Mehbooba Mufti staked claim to form the government with the support of Congress and National Conference (NC).
However, on December 19, 2018, then President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, issued a notification announcing President’s Rule in J&K under Article 356 of the Constitution of India. Eight months later, on August 5, 2019, the BJP-led government at the Centre repealed Article 370, providing special status to J&K, and bifurcated the erstwhile state into Union Territories.