NEW DELHI: The Election Commission will maintain consultations with the Union house secretary Wednesday to evaluate the safety state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir forward of scheduling meeting polls within the Union Territory, moreover discussing the attainable challenges and considerations in addition to availability of safety forces.
Some key considerations prone to come up in the course of the deliberations between EC — represented by CEC Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu — and Union house secretary Ajay Bhalla embody arranging the pressure logistics to safe the candidates, marketing campaign conferences and electors, notably because the current uptick in terrorist actions in Jammu area has led to redeployment of forces to safe the mountain tops and counter the international terrorists hiding there.Even Kashmir districts like Kulgam and Anantnag have seen assaults on safety personnel of late, and counter-terror operations are underway to hint and neutralise the perpetrators.
EC sources informed TOI that the requirement of safety forces for ballot deployment is assessed as “very excessive” as their stepped-up presence is essential to making a conducive safety ambiance for campaigning and polling. Greater than 16,000 personnel can be wanted to increase safety to a median 15 candidates in every of J&Okay’s 90 meeting constituencies.
“Democracy is to be strengthened layer by layer… growing voting proportion is only one layer, the others being facilitating participation by numerous candidates, extra ballot rallies and conferences and the broader use of IT functions like CVigil and so forth. EC is dedicated to holding the polls in J&Okay with all of the layers strengthened,” CEC Rajiv Kumar informed TOI.
Another elements to be thought of by EC are weather conditions in J&Okay, apple harvesting season, and anticipated seasonal migration of nomadic tribes like Gujjars and Bakarwals from the upper reaches to decrease floor, over Sept and Oct.
The EC had indicated its intent to carry J&Okay polls inside the Sept 30 deadline set by the Supreme Court docket by saying the particular abstract revision of electoral rolls in J&Okay and different poll-bound states in June. An EC workforce visited J&Okay final week to evaluate ballot preparedness and has now arrange the customary assembly with MHA to debate the safety preparations.
A supply mentioned the publication of revised J&Okay electoral roll with July 1, 2024 as reference date, on Aug 20 and the conclusion of Amarnath Yatra on Aug 19, shall pave the way in which for EC to announce polls any day after Aug 20.
Sources within the J&Okay safety institution mentioned that whereas there are considerations concerning the surge in terror strikes in Jammu, “the very fact stays that the majority of those assaults have been the handiwork of international terrorists and focused at safety forces”. “The menace to J&Okay elections might, then again, emanate from native terrorists and sleeper modules and goal candidates and different civilians. J&Okay Police have largely managed the state of affairs within the flat areas of Kashmir and even Jammu, although the hilly areas stay a problem. Terrorists should still perform shock assaults, however J&Okay Police are absolutely ready for conduct of meeting polls as and when the EC directs,” a senior police officer informed TOI.
Some key considerations prone to come up in the course of the deliberations between EC — represented by CEC Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu — and Union house secretary Ajay Bhalla embody arranging the pressure logistics to safe the candidates, marketing campaign conferences and electors, notably because the current uptick in terrorist actions in Jammu area has led to redeployment of forces to safe the mountain tops and counter the international terrorists hiding there.Even Kashmir districts like Kulgam and Anantnag have seen assaults on safety personnel of late, and counter-terror operations are underway to hint and neutralise the perpetrators.
EC sources informed TOI that the requirement of safety forces for ballot deployment is assessed as “very excessive” as their stepped-up presence is essential to making a conducive safety ambiance for campaigning and polling. Greater than 16,000 personnel can be wanted to increase safety to a median 15 candidates in every of J&Okay’s 90 meeting constituencies.
“Democracy is to be strengthened layer by layer… growing voting proportion is only one layer, the others being facilitating participation by numerous candidates, extra ballot rallies and conferences and the broader use of IT functions like CVigil and so forth. EC is dedicated to holding the polls in J&Okay with all of the layers strengthened,” CEC Rajiv Kumar informed TOI.
Another elements to be thought of by EC are weather conditions in J&Okay, apple harvesting season, and anticipated seasonal migration of nomadic tribes like Gujjars and Bakarwals from the upper reaches to decrease floor, over Sept and Oct.
The EC had indicated its intent to carry J&Okay polls inside the Sept 30 deadline set by the Supreme Court docket by saying the particular abstract revision of electoral rolls in J&Okay and different poll-bound states in June. An EC workforce visited J&Okay final week to evaluate ballot preparedness and has now arrange the customary assembly with MHA to debate the safety preparations.
A supply mentioned the publication of revised J&Okay electoral roll with July 1, 2024 as reference date, on Aug 20 and the conclusion of Amarnath Yatra on Aug 19, shall pave the way in which for EC to announce polls any day after Aug 20.
Sources within the J&Okay safety institution mentioned that whereas there are considerations concerning the surge in terror strikes in Jammu, “the very fact stays that the majority of those assaults have been the handiwork of international terrorists and focused at safety forces”. “The menace to J&Okay elections might, then again, emanate from native terrorists and sleeper modules and goal candidates and different civilians. J&Okay Police have largely managed the state of affairs within the flat areas of Kashmir and even Jammu, although the hilly areas stay a problem. Terrorists should still perform shock assaults, however J&Okay Police are absolutely ready for conduct of meeting polls as and when the EC directs,” a senior police officer informed TOI.
