Preparations for holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been completed since the beginning of this year, including the delimitation of constituencies, special summary revision of the electoral roll, and rearranging polling stations.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated at a press conference on January 19 that the process of special summary revision and rearranging polling stations after delimitation is complete. The appointment of Returning Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers for constituencies with changes has also been finalized. He emphasized that with the completion of these processes, elections are due and must be held.
The Election Commission will consider weather, security concerns, and other elections before deciding on the dates for the Jammu and Kashmir elections.
While announcing elections to five states on October 9, the CEC mentioned that the elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held at an “appropriate” time.
The Supreme Court’s decision will determine whether the elections will be held along with the Lok Sabha elections or later in the year, considering the cold winter in Jammu and Kashmir, where elections are typically not held from November to March.
The delimitation of constituencies in the new Union Territory was completed in May 2022. The electoral roll was revised based on the new constituencies, and as part of the Special Summary Revision of the electoral roll of the entire country, the updated electoral roll of Jammu and Kashmir will be published on January 5, 2024.
Senior EC officials have started their reviews for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including a review meeting with North Zone officials, including those from Jammu and Kashmir, on October 31.
Another consideration is the reservation of seats based on the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in Parliament in July, passed by Lok Sabha on December 6, and by the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The Bill empowers the L-G to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrants’ community, as recommended by the Delimitation Commission, one of whom should be a woman, to the Assembly.
