Assembly polls: Dy EC to visit J-K on Oct 8 to study situation

Ahead of taking a call on holding Assembly elections in flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission is sending a senior official to the state next week to take stock of the situation there.
Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi will visit Jammu on October 8 and Srinagar the next day to review the situation with officials of the state election commission and the state government, EC sources said.
Zutshi will also be meeting representatives of major political parties to seek their input before the poll panel takes a final call on holding assembly elections there.
The term of the 87-member state Assembly ends on January 19 next year.

One of the main concerns of the poll body is the condition of the polling stations and road connectivity.
Another area of concern for the poll body is the revision of electoral rolls which had been underway before the floods hit the state. The revision was expected to be over by the first week of October. But it has now been delayed.

The cut-off date for eligibility in J-K is October 1, 2014. The electoral rolls in J-K have a special provision for four cut-off dates for revision -- January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.
The full Commission - the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners - could also visit the state soon and take inputs from Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

With thousands of people displaced and road and communication lines taking a hit, it will be an uphill task for the poll body to hold elections in the state.
Floods triggered by heavy rain in J-K claimed scores of lives and left thousands homeless. It has also caused extensive damage to road, rail and telecommunication infrastructure in the state.