Srinagar, Aug 8: A three-member high-level team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) has arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on a two-day visit, where they have held a series of meetings with political parties and top officials from the civil and police administration.
The ECI team, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, began their visit by meeting representatives of various political parties at the SKICC in Srinagar.
A common demand that emerged from the political parties was the call for early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, with the parties urging the ECI to ensure that the polls are conducted before the timeline of September 30th set by the Supreme Court last year.
“Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government since 2018, and the people have been eagerly awaiting the restoration of democracy in the UT,” said a representative from one of the political parties.
After the meeting with the political parties, the ECI team also held discussions with top-ranking officials from the civil and police administration, including all 20 District Collectors and 23 Superintendents of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police.
The prevailing security situation and the preparations for conducting the assembly elections, including the Special Summary Revision (SSR) process, were discussed in detail during the meeting.
In the evening, the ECI team also met with Chief Secretary Atul Dullo and Director General of Police RR Swain.
The ECI team is expected to visit Jammu tomorrow, where they will hold a meeting with various law enforcement agencies before departing for New Delhi at around 4:40 pm.
“The Commission is expected to address a news conference at around 2:30 pm before their departure,” a source said.
The visit of the high-level ECI team to Jammu and Kashmir comes at a critical time, as the Union Territory awaits the announcement of the much-anticipated assembly elections.
