Page 11 - Jammu And Kashmir Politics

J&K set for 3-phase polls, Haryana votes on Oct 1; counting on Oct 4

Polling in J&K for its 90 seats will take place across three phases-on September 18, 25, and October 1-while Haryana's 90 seats will poll on October 1

Polls in J&K to further strengthen roots of democracy: Home minister Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday welcomed the announcement of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election and said the polls will further strengthen the roots of democracy and open the doors to a new period of development for the region. Shah also welcomed the announcement of polls in Haryana and said in the last 10 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state has written a new chapter of good governance under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Appealing to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to actively participate in the election, Shah said they should vote in large numbers to form a government that will sustain peace and development, and ensure a brighter future for youngsters. "I welcome the announcement of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir made by the Election Commission of India today. In the last 10 years, the Modi govt through a series of relentless initiatives has created a new era of peace, development and strengthening democracy in

Poll booths on lakes, sp provisions for migrants to enhance voting in J&K

The ease of voting for Kashmiri migrants introduced during the recent Lok Sabha polls will be in place for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls as well, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Friday. He also lauded the democratic spirit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Talking about the special arrangements made for the Kashmiri migrants during the Lok Sabha polls, Kumar said those relaxations will continue. "You may also remember that for Kashmiri migrants, special arrangements were made. We simplified the process, we relaxed Form M and there were some cumbersome processes that required authorisation, which were converted to self-attestation," the CEC said at a press conference to announce the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election. "We got positive results and the migrants also participated," he added. Kumar highlighted that the Union Territory witnessed more than 58 per cent voting during the Lok Sabha polls and this record participation of voters was a testament

Kept promise of shorter election period for polls: CEC Rajiv Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday said the poll authority has kept its promise of having shorter poll period by holding assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases as compared to the five rounds in which Lok Sabha elections were held in the Union territory. The last assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir were held in five phases when Ladakh was part of the erstwhile state. Addressing a press conference here to announce the schedule for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, Kumar said on June 3 -- a day before counting of results for Lok Sabha elections -- the Election Commission had promised that it will make election periods short. "In true spirit of keeping that promise, we present the shorter election period in the best possible and conducive environment," he said. Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases during summer period which had led to criticism from certain quarters about the long duration of the polling process.

Farooq welcomes EC's move to advance J-K polls, hopes central rule to end

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Friday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to advance assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and hoped that the central rule will end in the Union Territory. According to the dates announced by the EC, starting from September 18, the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases. The second phase will be held on September 25 and the third and final phase on October 1. Results for the assembly polls in both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir will be announced on October 4. "Today, I thank God that they are deciding it. Earlier, people were saying that they would decide it between the 20th and 25th. I am happy that they have preponed it (sic)," Abdullah told PTI here. He further said the country celebrated India's Independence on Thursday, and on Friday they are hopeful of getting rid of the central government's rule in Jammu and Kashmir. Replying to a question about the party's readiness for the elections, he said,

Better late than never: Omar Abdullah on announcement of J&K Assembly polls

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Friday welcomed the Election Commission's announcement of a three phased assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir and said it was better late than never. "Some time back, the ECI announced the schedule for assembly elections in J-K. People of J-K were waiting for this day for a long time. It is better late than never," Abdullah told reporters here. The Election Commission said the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir would be held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1, and the votes will be counted on October 4. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said it is perhaps for the first time after the 1987-88 polls, that the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held in a short time and in just few phases. "It obviously will be a new experiment for the political parties. But as far as our party is concerned, the NC was prepared for this day and will soon start the electioneering," he added. Abdullah said Chi

Union min Reddy chairs BJP's J&K Assembly election manifesto committee meet

The assembly election manifesto committee of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP met at a party headquarters here on Sunday, with Union minister G Kishan Reddy emphasising the need for extensive public outreach before finalising the document. Reddy, who is also BJP's assembly election in-charge for J&K, said the party believes in the participation of common people in its policymaking. J&K BJP will design its assembly election manifesto in accordance with the wishes of the people of the Union Territory, he said. J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina chaired the meeting, which was attended by manifesto committee chairman and former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and other committee members, a party spokesman said. Addressing the meeting, Reddy said senior party leaders, especially the members of the assembly election manifesto committee, will do extensive public outreach and involve all sections of society to prepare important points to be included in the manifesto. As part of .

Five policemen among six J-K officials sacked for 'narco-terror links'

J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha invoked Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution to terminate them

Govt moves over 2,000 BSF personnel from Odisha to terror-hit Jammu

The government has ordered the extraction of two BSF battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, from Odisha to beef up security in the terror-hit Jammu region along the India-Pakistan border, official sources said on Saturday. The decision to "immediately" move the two units from the anti-Naxal operations grid to Jammu was taken in the wake of the recent spate of terror attacks in the region, the sources told PTI. Officials in the security establishment said the two Border Security Force (BSF) units were meant to be deployed as the "second line" of defence behind the first tier of its units deployed along the international border in the Jammu area to check infiltration of terrorists from across the frontier, apart from attacks by these elements in the hinterland. The troops of these two units are expected to be based in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border, the sources said. "Two recent meetings, one in Delhi and one in Jammu, of the top security brass necessitated bolster

Three army personnel injured in exchange of fire in J-K's Kupwara

Three Army personnel were injured in an exchange of fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Saturday, officials said. "Some exchange of fire took place near the Kumkadi post in Trehgam sector of the north Kashmir district," one of the officials said. He added that three Army personnel were injured in the firing. Further details are awaited as the operation is ongoing, the officials added.

Elusive quest for clarity: Politics is hotting up ahead of J&K elections

Politics is hotting up in UT with SC's deadline for holding the polls drawing closer, but recent terror attacks and chances of an early winter may put a spanner in the works, writes Meraj Bhat

9 terror attacks within 38 days of PM Modi govt: Cong after J-K encounter

Party President Mallikarjun Kharge also questioned the Central government alleging that the government was acting as if it were business as usual

Govt's decision of 40% positions for open merit triggers outrage in Kashmir

The decision to allocate only 40 per cent of positions for open merit in government job recruitments in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered widespread outrage among the youth in the Union Territory. The move, which comes after accounting for reserved quotas, has led to opposition in various districts of the erstwhile state. Contrary to past trends of supporting terrorism or separatism, the youth in the Kashmir Valley and parts of Jammu have taken to the streets demanding meritocracy in government job placements. This shift towards advocating for equity in opportunities reflects a new wave of sentiment among today's youth. Often news hungry people, who would look for articles about youngsters joining terrorist organisations or mysteriously disappearing to join ranks of Pakistan-supported groups, come across a different trend these days where the youth wants equity in government jobs. Though some youths are still joining terror groups, the number is lower. Often this is also not reporte

Home Ministry gives more powers to J&K L-G on matters of law and order

The Centre has vested more powers to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir for taking decisions on police, officers of all-India services such as the IAS and the IPS, and giving sanction for prosecution in various cases. Decisions regarding the appointment of advocate general and other law officers, besides matters related to the anti-corruption bureau will also be taken by the lieutenant governor (L-G). These powers were given to the L-G by the Union home ministry on Friday by amending the rules issued under the Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which was enacted for the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,? while abrogating Article 370. "No proposal which requires previous concurrence of the Finance Department with regard to 'Police', 'Public Order', 'All India Service' and 'Anti Corruption Bureau' to exercise the discretion of the Lieutenant Governor under the Act shall be concurred or rejected

J-K polls will prove supremacy of security forces over terrorists: Omar

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Thursday said assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir should be held in time to prove the supremacy of security forces over terrorists, who have carried out a spate of attacks in Jammu region recently. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a party function here, Abdullah said there is no normalcy in the union territory. "There is no normalcy. But, is the situation worse than 1996? If yes, then let them not conduct the elections. If they want to bow down before these powers who are attacking, then don't conduct the election. If you have to prove the supremacy of the militancy, rather than proving the supremacy of our armed forces and police, then don't conduct the elections," he said. The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J-K, said if the government has courage, then elections should be conducted. "If you don't have the courage, and are afraid, then don't. But, if you have to show the supremacy of our police and .

HC judge recuses himself from plea seeking death penalty for Yasin Malik

Delhi High Court judge Amit Sharma on Thursday recused himself from hearing a plea by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seeking death penalty for separatist leader Yasin Malik in a terror funding case. The matter was listed before a division bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh after a change in the roster of judges dealing with such cases. "List before another bench, of which Justice Sharma is not a member, on August 9," Justice Singh said. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief, who is currently serving a life term in the case, was virtually present for the the court proceedings from the Tihar jail here. The court directed that he will appear virtually on the next date as well. On May 29 last year, the high court had issued a notice to Malik on the NIA's plea seeking death penalty for him in the terror funding case and had sought his presence before it on the next date. Subsequently, jail authorities had filed an application seeking permission for his virtual ..

Rajnath Singh condoles deaths of 5 soldiers in Kathua terror attack

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families of five army soldiers who were killed in an ambush by terrorists in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on July 8.In a message on social media platform X, Rajnath Singh said, "I am deeply anguished at the loss of five of our brave Indian Army Soldiers in a terrorist attack in Badnota, Kathua (J & K). My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the Nation stands firm with them in this difficult time".Rajnath Singh said, "The Counter Terrorist operations are underway, and our soldiers are determined to usher in peace and order in the region"."I pray for a speedy recovery to those who sustained injuries in this dastardly terror attack," he further said.Meanwhile, security has been tightened along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway after five army soldiers were killed in an ambush by terrorists in Kathua district on June 8.An encounter is still underway between troops and ...

Amit Shah chairs key meeting of BJP J-K on parliamentary elections

Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a key meeting of the BJP Jammu and Kashmir. Several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders attended the meeting held in the national capital on Thursday.BJP leader Devinder Kumar Maniyal after attending the meet said, "J & K is a UT and is directly under the MHA. Home Minister holds such meetings quarterly after two months. It was a meeting mainly about the parliamentary elections that have just taken place. We gave detailed information on the entire election...We will contest on all 90 seats in the upcoming elections..."Notably, J & K is likely to see its first Assembly election in September this year, according to the timeline fixed by the Supreme Court after the erstwhile State's special status was scrapped in 2019. The last Assembly election in the erstwhile State was held in 2014.The BJP-led government scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 and bifurcated the state into two union territories. There have been demands from ...

LG Sinha visits Amarnath yatra base camp in Jammu, reviews arrangements

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday night visited the base camp of Amarnath yatra in Jammu and reviewed the final arrangements for the pilgrimage. Amid multi-security escort, the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims will depart for twin base camps in Kashmir from Jammu on Friday, marking the beginning of this year's pilgrimage from here. Sinha, who was accompanied by Director General of Police (DGP) R R Swain and top civil and security officials, took a round of the base camp at Bhagwati Nagar and chaired a meeting to review the final arrangements. The Lieutenant Governor also met and interacted with the pilgrims. Subsequently, he chaired a meeting with the officials and reviewed the measures taken to facilitate the comfortable stay of the pilgrims, officials said. He was briefed on the extensive arrangements made for the smooth pilgrimage of the devotees. Sinha directed the stakeholder departments to deploy adequate manpower to cater to the heavy rush of the pilgrims. He als

HADP a game-changer for J&K's agriculture, allied sectors: LG Manoj Sinha

The Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) is a game-changer for Jammu and Kashmir's agriculture and allied sector that could address challenges faced by farmers, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said. Sinha made the remarks after inaugurating the Litchi Festival and an agriculture exhibition organised by the horticulture department here on Sunday. Addressing a gathering at the event, "HADP has emerged as the game-changer for J&K's agriculture and allied sector. Twenty-nine projects of HADP hold the potential to address the challenges faced by farmers and it will diversify income sources." He said the unique initiative is a commitment of his administration towards farmers' welfare and determination to explore new avenues for their prosperity. Sinha said progressive reforms and policies of the administration are being implemented to tap the potential of agriculture and horticulture sectors in the Union territory. He extended his felicitations to all the stakeholders and ...