EC to announce polls dates after delimitation process is over: J&K LG

The 3 NC MPs, Farooq Abdullah, Akbar Lone & Hasnain Masoodi, who are associate members of the Delimitation Commission, boycotted 1st meeting of Commission

Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Monday said the Election Commission will assess the situation and announce the poll dates in the union territory (UT) once the delimitation process is over.

“Once the Delimitation exercise ends in J&K, the Election Commission will assess the situation and accordingly announce the poll dates,” the LG told reporters in Jammu.

He advised the politicians, who are demanding early assembly elections in the UT to cooperate with the Delimitation Commission so that “exercise is completed at the earliest.”

“Those demanding early Assembly polls in J&K must help and cooperate with the Delimitation Commission so that the process is completed and Assembly polls are held in the UT,” he said while responding to a question when assembly polls would be held in the UT

Without naming the National Conference (NC), Sinha said, “Instead of criticizing the delimitation process and staying away from the exercise, the politicians who want early assembly polls must help to end the exercise.”

The three NC MPs, Farooq Abdullah, Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi, who are associate members of the Delimitation Commission, boycotted the first meeting of the Commission on the pretext that the party has challenged J&K Reorganization Act in the Supreme Court under which delimitation of the constituencies has been taken up.

On PDP president Mehbooba Mufti advocating dialogue with Pakistan to end violence in Kashmir, the LG said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will take care of such things.