Hold Lok Sabha, state assembly polls in J-K together: Tarigami tells ECI

CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said on Monday the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir should be resumed at the earliest and called for holding Lok Sabha and state assembly polls together in the state.

"Jammu and Kashmir is without an elected government for the past nine months and in the absence of an elected government, uncertainty in the state is deepening day-by-day and dissatisfaction among large section of people is increasing," Tarigami said.

"Only effective response to this situation is to initiate democratic process and hold elections to Assembly and Lok Sabha simultaneously. Any delay to do so will hamper the process of improvement in the situation," he told the Election Commission of India (ECI) at a meeting here.

A team of Election Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora arrived here on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir for assessing the situation for holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously.

Tarigami, who led the CPI(M) delegation in the meeting, said when the President's Rule was imposed in the state on 19 December 2018, the Union Home Minister said in the Parliament that they will not delay holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir and it will be held within six months.

"There is no justification whatsoever to delay Assembly elections in J&K politically or constitutionally. Experience confirms that delay will hamper the process of improvement and any excuse to delay can't be justified. Administration will be overburdened if elections are held separately," the four-time MLA from Kulgam said.

Tarigami said the CPI(M) leaders urged the CEC to announce the election dates for the Parliament and Assembly as soon as possible to end the prevailing political uncertainty in the sensitive state.