Srinagar, July 31: The election to Legislative Assembly of UT of Jammu and Kashmir is “due in near future”, Election Commission of India said on Wednesday.
“I am directed to state that the terms of existing State Legislative Assemblies of Haryana, Jharkhand & Maharashtra are upto 3rd November,2024, 5th January,2025 and 26th November, 2024, respectively and election are due in the year 2024,” ECI said in a letter to Chief Secretaries and CEOs of these states as well as J&K.
“Further, the election to Legislative Assembly of UT of Jammu and Kashmir is also due in near future,” the letter, a copy of which lies with GNS, said, adding, “The Commission has been following a consistent policy that officers directly connected with conduct of elections in an election going State/UT are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for considerably long period.”
Hence, the Commission has decided that no officer connected directly with elections shall be allowed to continue in the present district (revenue district) of posting:- (i) if she/he is posted in her/his home district. (ii)if she/he has completed three years in that district during last four [4) years or would be completing 3 years on or before 30th SeBtember, 2024 for UT of Jammu and Kashmir. 31’t October. 2024 for Haryana. 30th November 2024 for Maharashtra and 31st December 2024 for Jharkhand.
While calculating the period of three years, promotion to a post within the district is to be counted.
“If any small State/UT with a few numbers of districts, face any difficulty in compliance of the above instruction, then it may refer the specific case with reasons to the Commission through CEO for exemption and the Commission would issue directions, if considered necessary.”
It is to be noted here that the Supreme Court had last year directed the ECI to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30.
While J&K is presently not having an assembly since it was dissolved in 2018, the term of the Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand assemblies is ending on November 11, November 26, and January 5, 2025, meaning the elections have to be completed before that.
“General Election to the Legislative Assembly of UT of J&K is also to be conducted for constituting a new house after delimitation of constituencies. Witnessing the huge participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections, the Commission has also directed for the updation of the electoral rolls in the UT of J&K with July 1, 2024 as the qualifying date,” the ECI had said in a statement last month.(GNS)
