<p>The Election Commission will take a call on holding the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir only after the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra by the middle of August.</p>.<p>The EC on Tuesday decided against holding the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir immediately, setting the stage for the Union government to extend the President's Rule in the State beyond July 3.</p>.<p>The poll-panel has unanimously decided that it would consider holding the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir “later in this year”. The poll-panel invoked Article 324 of the Constitution while announcing its decision.</p>.<p>Article 324 of the Constitution empowers the EC to conduct the state assembly polls as well as the parliamentary elections.</p>.<p>Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and the two other Election Commissioners, Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, had a meeting at the headquarters of the EC and assessed if the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was conducive to hold the assembly polls in the state.</p>.<p>“Election Commission, under Article 324 of the Constitution and other extant laws/ rules etc. have unanimously decided that holding of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir shall be considered later in this year,” the poll-panel stated in a press release issued after the meeting at the Nirvachan Sadan.</p>.<p>The EC decision came even as the government started toying with the idea of redrawing the maps of the assembly and parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.</p>.<p>“The Election Commission will keep on regularly and on real-time basis monitoring the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, taking inputs from all necessary quarters and, after the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra, will announce the election schedule for the conduct of assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir,” a spokesperson of the poll-panel said.</p>.<p>The six-year term of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly was to end on March 16, 2021, but it was dissolved after a ruling coalition between the Peoples Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party fell apart in June 2018 and the State was placed under Governor's Rule. The state assembly was dissolved in November 2018. After the six-month-tenure of the Governor's Rule ended, the State came under President's Rule on December 19, 2018. The first tenure of the President's Rule will also end on July 3 next.</p>
<p>The Election Commission will take a call on holding the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir only after the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra by the middle of August.</p>.<p>The EC on Tuesday decided against holding the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir immediately, setting the stage for the Union government to extend the President's Rule in the State beyond July 3.</p>.<p>The poll-panel has unanimously decided that it would consider holding the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir “later in this year”. The poll-panel invoked Article 324 of the Constitution while announcing its decision.</p>.<p>Article 324 of the Constitution empowers the EC to conduct the state assembly polls as well as the parliamentary elections.</p>.<p>Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and the two other Election Commissioners, Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, had a meeting at the headquarters of the EC and assessed if the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was conducive to hold the assembly polls in the state.</p>.<p>“Election Commission, under Article 324 of the Constitution and other extant laws/ rules etc. have unanimously decided that holding of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir shall be considered later in this year,” the poll-panel stated in a press release issued after the meeting at the Nirvachan Sadan.</p>.<p>The EC decision came even as the government started toying with the idea of redrawing the maps of the assembly and parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.</p>.<p>“The Election Commission will keep on regularly and on real-time basis monitoring the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, taking inputs from all necessary quarters and, after the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra, will announce the election schedule for the conduct of assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir,” a spokesperson of the poll-panel said.</p>.<p>The six-year term of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly was to end on March 16, 2021, but it was dissolved after a ruling coalition between the Peoples Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party fell apart in June 2018 and the State was placed under Governor's Rule. The state assembly was dissolved in November 2018. After the six-month-tenure of the Governor's Rule ended, the State came under President's Rule on December 19, 2018. The first tenure of the President's Rule will also end on July 3 next.</p>
