Panchayat polls likely in Jammu and Kashmir next year, but no signs of Assembly elections

The latest direction of the State Election Commissioner (SEC) asking officers in Jammu and Kashmir to update and revise Panchayat electoral roll has once again indicated that the Centre wasn’t in a hurry to hold the much awaited Assembly polls in the Union Territory (UT).

On Friday, SEC KK Sharma, while chairing a meeting, directed officers concerned to ensure that the Panchayat electoral rolls are updated within the stipulated time in a very systematic and hassle-free manner.

On November 25, the controversial five-month long exercise of revision of electoral rolls for Assembly polls was completed with a net increase of 7,72,872 electors in the final electoral rolls.

Also Read | Dealing with threat of terrorism firmly: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Sinha

The release of the electoral roll was expected to pave the way for the holding of Assembly polls in the UT, the first since Article 370 provisions were abrogated in August 2019. The exercise had been undertaken after completion of the Delimitation Commission report in Jammu and Kashmir in May this year.

However, with the SEC now focusing on revision of Panchayat electoral rolls, the possibility of Assembly elections in April-May next year looks bleak.

Highly placed sources told DH that the Centre was mulling to hold panchayat and municipal polls in J&K which are due in September-October 2023. “This could push the holding of Assembly polls with the Parliament elections in April-May 2024 or even beyond that,” they said.

Last month when Union Home Minister Amit Shah was on a two-day visit to J&K, he too gave enough indication that holding of Assembly polls soon was not the priority of the government saying it has to be seen from the ‘security point of view”

From March 2020 to May 2022, the delimitation exercise had taken center stage in J&K’s frozen politics with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister several times saying that Assembly polls in the UT will be held only after the completion of the redrawing of the electoral map.

After the Commission filed its final report in May this year, the Election Commission (EC) extended the date for special summary revision of electoral rolls, a mandatory process before election dates are announced, till November 25.

A senior police officer told DH that delaying of Assembly polls is a ‘compulsion’ for the government as “any non-BJP government in J&K would start challenging the current security apparatus which would result in chaos.”

“The prevailing peace in Kashmir is only due to a major crackdown against separatists and the terror eco-system. If local parties form the government, they will start confronting the security agencies. Due to this reason, Assembly elections may be deferred further,” he revealed.