Hold Lok Sabha, Assembly polls together in J&K, mainstream camp tells ECI

SRINAGAR — Amid growing uncertainty and political instability in Jammu and Kashmir, the State’s mainstream camp Monday unanimously demanded that the Lok Sabha and Parliamentary polls be held simultaneously in the State to end political crisis.

ECI team arrived in J&K on a two-day visit to gauge the mood for holding polls that are due for the State. The team, sources said, started from Srinagar. The ECI team met National Conference delegation led by party general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar at The Lalit Grand Palace.

“We have urged the ECI not to wait for anything more and instead announce dates for holding Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together so that the prevailing uncertainty and political tensions are done away by the elected government,” Sagar said after meeting the ECI team.

He said, “We told ECI that at present, the situation in Kashmir was fragile and elections were the only way out to bring normalcy and elected government would work on a peace mission to safeguard the interests of people of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh respectively.”

Congress delegation also met the ECI. Senior Congress leader Taj Mohiudin said that his party has strongly pitched for holding Parliamentary and Assembly polls simultaneously. “It’s for the security agencies to create a conducive atmosphere for polls,” he said.

“As for as Congress is concerned, we are ready for both Parliamentary and Assembly polls and these polls should be held together,” Mohiudin said after meeting ECI.

The PDP that has been rattled by the internal wrangling with many of its leaders quitting the party also supported early polls in the State. The delegation was led by its senior leader, A R Veeri.

“We are ready and our party will contest both elections with people’s support. We told ECI that the prevailing alienation and the unpredictable situation can only be handled by the elected government in the State and that they should announce the dates as soon as possible and hold Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together,” he said.

BJP general secretary (organisation), Ashok Koul said that BJP was ready and was in support of holding early elections be that Parliamentary or Assembly polls. “We have put forth our stand before the ECI. The party is ready to face polls in the State,” he said.

Chairman Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) Hakeem Muhammad Yasin said that he told ECI team that at present Kashmir was going through a worst phase of alienation and only way out to deal with the situation was to hold polls in the State. “Let’s hope, ECI pays heed to the views expressed by the mainstream leaders irrespective of their party ideologies and stand,” he said.

No representative from the Peoples Conference met ECI. Sources in the ECI said that the team would fly to Jammu tomorrow and meet parties and officials from the administration there and by March 08, it will announce its verdict on holding polls in the State. (KNO)