A day after the political parties, cutting across party lines, batted for early Assembly polls as per the Supreme Court deadline of 30 September 2024, the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Friday said that the EC was committed to conducting polls at the earliest in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 

The head of the three-member poll panel also said the commission would not allow internal or external forces to derail the electoral process in the wake of a sudden rise in the incidents of terrorist violence across the Jammu region.

Addressing a press conference at the end of a two-day long visit aimed at reviewing the poll preparedness here in Jammu, Rajiv Kumar said, “Time has come to give the people of J&K its government through elections. We are committed to conducting elections at the earliest. We are sure that the people of J&K will give a befitting response to disruptive forces. No internal or external intervention will be allowed to derail the democratic process. We are all prepared for it,” said CEC Kumar, who was accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S.S. Sandhu.

Without commenting on the likely dates of holding Assembly polls the Chief Election Commissioner maintained we have completed the state-level review, and the ongoing Amarnath yatra is also culminating on August 19. We will conduct a fresh security assessment and requirement of security forces in New Delhi. Then we will hold a press briefing and announce a poll schedule keeping in mind the deadlines.

Before reaching Jammu the EC delegation also held discussions with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dullo and police chief R R Swain in Srinagar on Friday. Referring to the issue of providing a level playing field to the candidates of all political parties during the Assembly polls, the Election Commission Chief said we have directed the UT administration to provide a level playing field to all the political parties and wherever necessary conduct the fresh security audit to address the issue.