India's poll body to visit Jammu and Kashmir, parties hopeful of election dates announcement

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is visiting the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on August 8. The commissionwill visit Kashmir Valley first and later go to Jammu during theirtwo-day visit. The election commissionwill most likely announce the election dates for the Union Territory, as the Supreme Court of India has given a deadline for holding the elections in Jammu and Kashmir before September30.

Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of 10 years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014. With the ECIvisit to Jammu and Kashmir, the political parties in the region are gearingup their efforts in anticipation of the long-awaited Assembly elections. The visit of the ECI is pivotal for determining the timeline for the much-awaited polls.

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In the lead-up to the ECI's arrival, major opposition parties, including the Congress, National Conference (NC), and People's Democratic Party (PDP), have been actively engaging with their constituents.

The National Conference's vice-president Omar Abdullah has organised a series of public meetings aimed at galvanising support and preparing for a robust electoral performance. Abdullah has been meeting party members in Jammu, urging them to strengthen their resolve ahead of the elections.

"I think they have been visiting Kashmir over a period of time and I believe that it is a part of the protocol, and we are hopeful they will announce the dates of the election. Our delegates will meet the ECI team, and we will put forward our points of view and concerns. We are all geared up and we are ready for elections,"said Imran Nabi, NC's spokesperson.

Meanwhile, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti is also engaging with party leaders and workers in Srinagar, ensuring that her team is aligned and ready for discussions with the ECI team. However, the party leaders say that it is time for ECI to announce polling dates, as they have made multiple visits to Jammu and Kashmir previously.

"The election commission in the recent notice mentioned the dates of all other places where the elections are to be held but with regardto Jammu and Kashmir, there was no clarity in the notice. The election commission is not visiting any other place but he is visiting here so I don'tunderstand what the need for it is. Instead of playing with the heart and mindof Jammu and Kashmir, the election commission should come out very clearly and announcethe dates as it's being done at other places. So, we don't know what the purpose of the visit is. Let us see what he has to offer once he is here,"said Mohit Bhan, spokesperson forPDP.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)leaders in Kashmir Valley have also supported the idea of holding elections in the UT as soon as possible. They will be meeting the ECI and demanding the same.

"Election Commission'svisit is a direct message that elections are being held in Jammu Kashmir. The PM had also said they will hold elections soon, I am sure after visiting they will announce the dates of the elections. The Home Minister and Prime Minister have said that elections need to be held. We as BJP members also want the elections to be held as advised by the Supreme Court. We will be meeting the ECI and demand that assembly elections should be held,"said Altaf Thakur, spokesperson ofBJP Kashmir.

The ECI's schedule for its visit includes a series of important meetings. Upon arriving in Srinagar, the team will first meet with recognised national and regional political parties. This will be followed by discussions with district commissioners and superintendents of police and later a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer and senior police officials.

On August 9, the ECI team will meet with top officials, including the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, before heading to Jammu for further discussions with enforcement agencies and holding a press conference.