The schedule has been fastidiously designed to maintain the polling interval quick and guarantee enough availability of forces quickly after announcement of ballot dates.
Will guarantee all candidates get safety: EC
The election schedule additionally seems to be to cowl the areas with heightened terrorist exercise within the preliminary phases to make sure optimum power deployment and space domination, and schedule polling in constituencies throughout each J&Ok areas in every section.
TOI has learnt that credible inputs have been touchdown on intelligence businesses’ desk about designs by Pakistan-based parts to disrupt the upcoming meeting polls in J&Ok with assaults on safety forces and candidates. Sources mentioned the Election Commission, with the cooperation of the house ministry, nonetheless selected to take a measured threat to carry polls with the underlying precept that such nefarious designs shouldn’t be allowed to succeed.
The ballot course of begins a day after the conclusion of Amarnath Yatra on Aug 19, since that might liberate chunk of forces for election deployment. Additionally, the ultimate rolls with July 1, 2024, as reference date could be printed on Aug 20.
“We’ve got not wasted a single day. Additionally, the ballot panel has ensured that districts which have assaults over the previous couple of months – like Doda, Ramban, Kulgam and Anantnag – go to polls within the first section itself, with Rajouri and Poonch too scheduled within the second section,” an EC functionary informed TOI.
Curiously, the polls are being held amid the apple/saffron season and can coincide with vacationer festivals, which underlines the boldness of EC in going forward with the train. CEC Rajiv Kumar on Friday mentioned the EC will be certain that every candidate will get safety and shall additionally honour J&Ok events’ request that safety of all candidates and celebration workplace bearers be on par. About 16,000 or extra safety personnel could also be deployed for this function, as per sources. For the primary time, the EC has taken care to schedule polls collectively in constituencies throughout each Jammu and Kashmir valleys. Polling might be unfold over three phases overlaying all of 14 days – as per an EC functionary, that is the shortest ballot window in J&Ok, barring the 1987 train.
“The EC is conducting the meeting polls buoyed by its confidence within the individuals of J&Ok who will not be solely eager on change but in addition need to be brokers of that change by selecting poll over bullet and boycott,” the CEC mentioned on Friday.
Citing the report turnouts in J&Ok within the latest Lok Sabha polls, the CEC mentioned, “Time has come to erect the constructing on the strong basis that was laid in the course of the 2024 basic election.”
