Srinagar, Aug 6: Ending speculation, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has said assembly polls will be held at the earliest and the Election Commission will decide the dates.
LG Sinha said he would work with the elected government to achieve peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Elections have to happen. When the J&K Reorganisation Act was passed in Parliament, the Home Minister had said three specific things: i) First, delimitation. People often express it in political terms. But the fact is elections cannot happen without delimitation. Who would decide the boundary? The J&K government cannot. And it is a long process, requiring stakeholder consultations. The Justice Ranjana Desai-led Delimitation Commission came to J&K thrice. Political parties also met the Commission in Delhi. Finally, the report is in. ii) Assembly elections then. The Election Commission is visiting the UT now. When the Prime Minister was here, he also said elections would happen at the earliest. The Election Commission will decide the dates. There should be no doubt about elections. iii) Statehood at appropriate time,” Sinha told The Indian Express in an interview.
LG Sinha said immediately after the assembly elections, panchayats and local bodies polls would also be held.
“We put in place the three-tier system and empowered it in a short time. “District Development Councils and the Block Development Council have a significant role to play in framing the district capex plan. Elections for DDCs were held towards the end of 2020. DDC councilors are in place in all districts in Jammu as well as Kashmir. But the tenure of panch and urban local bodies is over. There was no reservation for OBCs here. After the J&K Reorganisation Act, many OBCs and STs have got reservations. There were many representations about particular seats that needed to be reserved. We had to resolve it. A month before the Lok Sabha elections, a retired judge committee was set up to identify the seats that should be reserved. So, immediately after the Assembly elections, polls for panchayats and local bodies would also be held,” he said.
LG Sinha said he would work with the elected government to achieve peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir. “The elected government will have many powers. In our constitution, everyone’s roles are defined. If everybody works as per the Constitution, there will be no problem. There are such examples in our country. Not one, but many. If we remain within the confines of the powers provided in the Constitution, then everything will be fine. I will work towards achieving a fine balance with the elected government to achieve peace, prosperity, and development. Doesn’t everyone want this? If this is the objective, then where is the possibility of a clash?” he asked.
