ECI to visit J-K tomorrow to review LS poll preparations

SRINAGAR — The Election Commission of India (ECI) is visiting Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday and Wednesday to review preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Officials quoted by the news agency KNS said that the full team of the Commission is scheduled to visit J&K tomorrow and the day after, however, some officials may visit the region today itself.

“They will review the preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls during their two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, poll preparations, the team will also assess the security situation in the Union Territory,” they said.

They said that the ECI team will also hold meetings with officials and representatives of political parties during their visit.

“The possibility of holding Assembly elections simultaneously with Lok Sabha polls is also under consideration as top officials of security and intelligence agencies have already held closed-door meetings with the ECI regarding the possibility of holding simultaneous polls,” the officials said.

They also said that soon after concluding its J&K visit, the ECI will announce the Lok Sabha poll schedule likely on March 15 during a press conference in New Delhi. Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held sometime between April and May this year.

Regarding Assembly polls in J&K, the Supreme Court while upholding the scrapping of Article 370 in December last year also directed the Centre to hold elections in the Union territory by September this year.