Srinagar:
Voting in the first phase of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir is underway with ballots being cast in 24 of the state’s 90 constituencies.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

Jammu:

Reiterating that statehood will be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said ahead of the Assembly elections that “no power” can talk of autonomy there. 

The Home Minister also took aim at opposition parties, accusing the Congress, National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP of looting the erstwhile state and asking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not to mislead the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing BJP workers in Jammu’s Palauru on Saturday, Mr Shah referred to the removal of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and said the upcoming election was historic because it would be the first time that voters in J&K would be casting their ballots not under two flags but under one Tricolour and under one Constitution. 

“They (opposition parties) say they want to talk to Pakistan. Let me tell you, until there is peace, there will be no talks with Pakistan… Three families – Congress, the National Conference’s Abdullah family and PDP’s Mufti family – want to take Jammu and Kashmir back to the age of corruption. They say they will bring back the old arrangement… They speak of bringing back autonomy, let me state categorically that no power can talk of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir,” the minister said in Hindi. 

Pointing out that Rahul Gandhi and the National Conference had promised the restoration of statehood – Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two Union Territories, including Ladakh, when Article 370 was abrogated in 2019- Mr Shah said, “I want to ask Rahul baba and Abdullah sahab, how will you restore statehood? Stop misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir… this can only be done by the Union government and PM Modi.”

“I have already said that Jammu and Kashmir will get statehood at an appropriate time after the elections. I have said this in Parliament. They are asking for something that we have already given, have you seen anything like this before,” he asked.

Accusing previous governments of turning a blind eye to terrorism, Mr Shah said that, in the 10 years under PM Modi, the BJP has worked to reduce terrorism by 70% and also taken on terrorists. He cited the success of the Amarnath yatra and the reopening of theatres as proof of this and said terrorism will make a comeback if Congress and the National Conference, which are contesting the elections in an alliance, return to power in J&K.

In Jammu and Kashmir for a two-day visit, Mr Shah had unveiled the party’s manifesto on Friday and said Article 370 was “history” and would never come back. The Union Territory will vote in three phases between September 18 and October 1. Counting will take place on October 8. 

In Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of preparations for elections, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has said that no internal or external force can stop the Election Commission from conducting Assembly polls in the Union Territory. 

Addressing a press conference in Jammu on Friday, Mr Kumar said in Hindi, “The foundation laid by you (the people and the administration) is now awaiting the construction of a strong building. We have to achieve new heights and the time for that has come. If any internal or external force thinks that they can interfere and derail the Assembly elections, they are wrong. We are sure that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will give a befitting response to disruptive forces.”

To a question on how the elections were being planned given that the Union Territory has seen an uptick in terror attacks and encounters in which many security personnel have also been killed, the Chief Election Commissioner used the chicken-and-egg analogy.

“We are working with full commitment and resolve that nothing will be allowed to disrupt the elections. If we don’t, it will become a chicken-and-egg situation. Whenever we will talk about elections, such activities will increase and we will be forced to step back. That will be like conceding defeat without even fighting. That won’t happen,” Mr Kumar asserted.

“These things will not have an impact on the elections at all. Our forces and the administration are capable enough to deal with any situation that arises. The flag of ‘jamhuriyat’ (democracy) has been raised and will be raised further,” he added.

‘Historic Achievement’

On the Commission’s meetings with political parties in Jammu and Kashmir since it arrived in the Union Territory on Thursday, Mr Kumar said they had spoken to national and recognised parties, all of whom had praised the people and the Election Commission for the way the Lok Sabha elections had been conducted there. 

The state had seen a voter turnout of 58.46%, which was the highest in 35 years, and Mr Kumar said all the parties had called that a “historic achievement”. 

“The parties said it had good participation and no violent incidents took place, which boosted people’s confidence. All the parties demanded that the Assembly polls be held at the earliest so that there are elected representatives in Jammu and Kashmir who have a better connect with local residents,” Mr Kumar said. 

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government for over six years and the last Assembly elections were held there in December 2014. The Supreme Court has set a deadline of  September 30 for the Election Commission to hold Assembly polls in the erstwhile state, whose special status under Article 370 was removed and it was bifurcated into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.

Srinagar:

The Election Commission of India has confirmed that it will visit Jammu and Kashmir next week to review preparations for elections. The move is being seen as an indication that the Assembly elections in the Union Territory will be held before the deadline of September 30 set by the Supreme Court.

The full commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will meet officials of the administration as well as representatives of political parties in Srinagar and Jammu during the visit, which will take place from August 8 to 10, it was announced on Friday. 

Sources said the commission is expected to announce the Assembly polls sometime after  August 15 to meet the September 30 deadline. 

In December last year, while delivering its verdict on Article 370, a five-judge Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had directed the poll body to hold Assembly elections in the Union Territory by September 30. It had also asked the Centre to restore statehood at the earliest.

On Wednesday, the Commission had asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer officials posted in their home districts as well as those connected with the election process who will be completing a three-year tenure on or before September 30.

Similar directions had been given to the chief secretaries of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where elections are due later this year.

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government for over six years and the last Assembly elections were held in December 2014.

Next week, Jammu and Kashmir will also complete five years as a Union Territory. On August 5, 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status under Article 370 was removed. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been administered by the lieutenant governor.

The Centre has also recently amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, giving sweeping powers to the lieutenant governor in the Union Territory. The amendments are in line with the Delhi Union Territory model, where the elected government has little authority over bureaucracy and many powers are vested in the Lieutenant Governor.

Opposition parties have reacted strongly to the Centre’s move and termed it “anti-democratic”. They allege that giving sweeping powers to the LG will make the elected government a rubber stamp.

During his visit to Srinagar in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Assembly elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon, and statehood would also be restored.

New Delhi:

The Election Commission of India will visit Jammu and Kashmir from Monday to Wednesday to assess when polls can be held in the Union Territory and the dates for the Lok Sabha elections are likely to be revealed immediately after that, sources have told NDTV. The announcement may be made on Thursday or Friday.

The Commission’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir comes after the Supreme Court had directed it to hold Assembly elections in the Union Territory (UT) by September. The Centre had then asked the panel to assess whether the Assembly elections in the UT could be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. 

“Once the assessment is complete and the visit ends on Wednesday, the commission may announce the dates for the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday or Friday,” a source said. 

The model code of conduct will come into effect as soon as the elections are announced and parties have been making promises and inaugurating projects on a war footing before that happens. 

As far as the polls in Jammu and Kashmir are concerned, the commission has been given a full briefing by the security establishment and the entire panel, including Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Arun Goel, will visit the Union Territory. 

The last Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014 and the state was bifurcated after Article 370, which gave it special status, was abrogated in 2019. The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh came into existence after that.

During a hearing on a bunch of petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370, the Supreme Court had, in December last year, directed the Election Commission to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30. Upholding the Union government’s decision to abrogate Article 370, the court had directed it to take steps to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest. 

No Elected Government Since 2018

In the 2014 Assembly elections, the People’s Democratic Party led by Mehbooba Mufti and the BJP had formed a coalition government. It had collapsed in 2018 after the BJP pulled its support and Jammu and Kashmir has not had an elected government since then.

The PDP is now part of the INDIA Alliance but there have been rumblings after the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) said it will contest all three seats in Kashmir on its own and leave the two in Jammu for the Congress. 

Terming the NC’s decision “disappointing”, Ms Mufti also accused the NC of reducing the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to a “joke”. The PAGD is an alliance of parties, including the NC and the PDP, that had come together to seek the restoration of the Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.