REKINDLING HOPE
The statement by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar about prospects of holding assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir has once again rekindled hopes of the people of this region as exclusion of the same in recently concluded BJP National Executive Meeting has dashed the hopes that the Union Territory would see installation of popular government in near future. The CEC has given a mature view about the probability of conduct of elections in J&K by raising the valid points including weather and security concerns, as these are the genuine issues and neither government nor ECI could ignore them before going for the Assembly polls in the Union Territory. Reportedly, the CEC has not come out with specific schedule or timeline for when the J&K UT will see the electorate exercising their right to franchise but the remark clearly speaks of that the constitutional body meant to monitor and execute election processes in the country is sincere and doing everything required to have a people’s elected government in the UT of J&K. This is known to everyone in the country that Election Commission of India has the responsibility to install popular government by holding free and fair elections as and when any state or UT is due for the same and the same also holds true for J&K. There is no doubt that ECI has already completed the much awaited delimitation process and special summary revision or revision of electoral rolls besides returning officers and additional electoral registration officers have also been appointed in the rearranged and new constituencies. Of course the aforesaid things have paved way for the elections in J&K but this region being sensitive as far as security point of view is concerned therefore security clearance from the concerned quarters is also quite important before going for the polls. Above all the terrain and weather vagaries also play a vital role in setting up the schedule for the polls therefore the CEC is right in saying that J&K is not the place where one can give nod for polls without taking all the things into consideration. There is no doubt that the delay in polls is giving room to opposition to criticize the government but deep in heart every entity in J&K knows that the factors described by the CEC are important and cannot be ignored before going to polls.