What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
SRINAGAR: A senior delegation of the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, is arriving in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to assess preparations for the Assembly elections in the Union Territory.
Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will join the CEC during the trip. According to the itinerary, the ECI delegation will arrive in Srinagar at 10 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., they will conduct meetings with representatives from various political parties including the BJP, Congress, National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), and Aam Aadmi Party.
The ECI officials will not meet the representatives of the Panthers Party as its name and symbol were frozen by the commission on March 20.
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Following the discussions with the political parties, the commission will convene a joint meeting with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) from all 20 districts via video conferencing. This meeting is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
At 7 p.m., the ECI delegation will meet the J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), state poll nodal officer, and coordinator of central paramilitary forces to evaluate election preparations.
After staying overnight, the members will hold a meeting with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police (DGP) R.R. Swain at 9 a.m. on Friday. They will depart for Jammu on Friday at 11:40 a.m. At 1 p.m. on Friday, the ECI team will meet various enforcement agencies in Jammu, and before leaving for New Delhi, they will hold a press conference at around 2:30 p.m.
In March, Gyanesh Kumar — then the only member of the three-member commission to visit the Union Territory — had reassured political parties and the residents of Jammu and Kashmir that the poll panel would soon conduct assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
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At that time, the two election commissioner positions were vacant. These positions were filled shortly before the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 16.
Following a record turnout in the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Kumar stated, “This active participation is a significant positive for the upcoming assembly elections, ensuring the democratic process continues to flourish in the Union Territory.”
In Srinagar, the commission is expected to first meet with the political parties. A review session will follow with the chief electoral officer and the central forces coordinator.
After a delimitation exercise, the number of assembly seats increased from 83 to 90, excluding those designated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Last December, the Supreme Court directed the poll panel to conduct assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30.
