Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Friday said that Assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir will be held within the next six months. Rawat did not rule out the possibility of holding polls in the State before the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held next year. The EC is expected to meet next week to this effect.
"SC has ruled whenever such dissolution takes place, the Commission should hold elections on 1st occasion and in no case, later than 6 months. For commission, 6 months is good enough for getting preparedness at satisfactory level. Law and order situation in Jammu & Kashmir will also be kept in mind," Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said.
The CEC said that the Commission came to know about dissolution of J&K assembly on November 21.
"Now commission will have to gather all other facts relating to the State. Next week we'll deliberate upon as to how should we go about planning for elections to that house", the CEC said.
The Jammu & Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Assembly on Wednesday evening, after People's Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti staked claim to form Government along with her arch-rival Omar Abdullah's National Conference (NC) and the Congress. They claimed the support of 56 lawmakers in the 87-member State Assembly.