EC plans August 8-10 tour of J&K to take stock of election preparedness | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: EC will visit J&K, where assembly polls are to be conducted before Sept 30 as per SC’s orders, between Aug 8 and 10 to assess overall poll preparedness. Since the review is a standard protocol followed by EC prior to announcement of polls in any state/UT, the visit is being seen as pointer to EC’s plans to announce polls in J&K over the next few days.
Inputs regarding the security situation in J&K will be sought by EC from the Union home ministry.Any decision on how conducive the security situation is as well as the extent of requirement and availability of central forces for J&K poll will be taken only after deliberations with MHA.
A source indicated that commission may be mulling declaration of the poll dates in J&K soon after publication of final electoral rolls for the UT on Aug 20, 2024, with July 1, 2024, as a reference date. The security review will factor in the likelihood of J&K polls stretching over a minimum 3-4 weeks and the current preoccupation of central forces with tackling the heightened terror activity in Jammu region.
CEC Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, upon arrival in the UT on Aug 8, will meet and interact with the representatives of political parties in Srinagar.