Mixed response from political parties, Hurriyat give boycott call
By News Agency of Kashmir,
Jammu : Putting all the speculations to an end, the Election Commission of India (ECI) today announced schedule for conducting Legislative Assembly elections in the trouble torn state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
Announcement of elections in the state, however, evoked mixed response as some political parties welcomed it while the others criticised it citing one or the other reasons.
The Hurriyat Conference-an umbrella organization of separatists groups of the valley on the other announced poll boycott and appealed the people not to participate in elections.
The elections in the state would be held between November 17, 2008 and December 25, 2008 in seven phases. The counting and completion of electoral process will be done on December 28th & 31st respectively. The Model Code of Conduct, which comes into effect immediately, will apply to the whole state and will be applicable to all candidates, political parties as well as the State and the Union Governments. Besides, the Commission will also be deploying Observers to ensure smooth conduct of elections in the State. The observers will be asked to keep a close watch on every stage of electoral process to ensure free and fair polls.
Addressing media persons in New Delhi today, Chief Election Commissioner of India N Gopala Swami stated that the elections will be held in seven phases in all the 87 Assembly constituencies of the State and EVMs will be used at all the polling stations.
While in the first phase of polls on 17th November, 10 Assembly constituencies of Gurez, Bandipora, Sonawari, Nobra, Leh, Kargil, Zanskar, Surankote, and Mendhar and Poonch Haveli will go to polls, six assembly constituencies of Kangan, Ganderbal, Nowshera, Darhal, Rajouri and Kalakote will go to polls on 23rd November in Phase II. In the third phase on 30th November, electorates in five Assembly constituencies of Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara and Langate will exercise their franchise while as 18 Assembly constituencies of Uri, Rafiabad, Sopore, Sangrama, Baramulla, Gulmarg, Pattan, Chadoora, Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib, Chare-e-Sharief, Gulabgrah, Reasi, Gool Arnas, Udhampur, Chenani and Ramnagar will go to polls in the fourth phase on 7th December.
On 13th December, 11 constituencies of Tral, Pampore, Pulwama, Rajpora, Wachi, Shopian, Bani, Basohli, Kathua, Billawar and Hiranagar will go to polls in the fifth phase. Sixteen constituencies of Noorabad, Kulgam, Home Shalibugh, Anantnag, Devsar, Doru, Kokernag, Shangus, Bijbehara, Pahalgam, Kishtwar, Inderwal, Doda, Bhaderwah, Ramban and Banihal will go to polls on 17th December in the penultimate phase. The polling will end with the seventh and final phase when elections will be held on 24th December in 21 Assembly constituencies that include Hazratbal, Zadibal, Iddgah, Khanyar, Habba Kadal, Amira Kadal, Sonawar, Batmaloo, Samba, Vijaypur, Nagrota, Ganhinagar, Jammu East, Jammu West, Bishnah, RS Pura, Suchetgarh, Marh, Raipur Domana, Akhnoor and Chhamb.
The Election Commission has fixed 24th October as the date for issuance of gazette notification for assembly constituencies to which polls will be held in the first phase. The last date for nominations is 31st October while date of scrutiny will be November 1st. The last date of withdrawal of candidatures will be 3rd November. For the second phase of elections on 23rd November, the gazette notification will be issued on 29th October while as last date of nominations will be 5th November. Date of scrutiny of nominations and withdrawal of candidatures will be 6th November and 8th November respectively.
For the third phase of polls on 30th November, the gazette notification will be issued on 4th November while as last date of nominations will be 11th November. Date of scrutiny of nominations and withdrawal of candidatures will be 12th November and 14th November respectively. For the 18 assembly constituencies that will go to polls in Phase IV on 7th December, the gazette notification will be issued on 10th November while 17th November has been fixed as the last date for nominations. The date of scrutiny of nominations and last date of withdrawal of candidatures will be 18th November and 20th November respectively. For the fifth phase of polls on 13th December the gazette notification will be issued on 17th November while as last date of nominations will be 24th November. Date of scrutiny of nominations and withdrawal of candidatures will be 25th November and 27th November respectively. For the sixth phase of polls on 17th December, the gazette notification will be issued on 22th November while as last date of nominations will be 29th November. Date of scrutiny of nominations and withdrawal of candidatures will be 1st December and 3rd December respectively.
The gazette notification for the seventh and final phase to be held on 24th December will be issued on 26th November and the last date for nominations will be 3rd December. The dates for scrutiny of nominations and last date of withdrawal of candidatures will be 4th December and 6th December respectively.
Official sources told NAK that the State Government has assured full cooperation to the Election Commission in the matter of providing necessary manpower and materials for the conduct of free, fair and peaceful elections. The Central Government has also assured that adequate Central Police Forces will be deployed to ensure safety, security and free movement of electors, candidates, leaders of political parties and polling personnel and in guarding of polling material and polling stations.
The District Election Officers have been asked to prepare comprehensive district election plan including communication plan using multi-mode resources such as landline telephones, cells, wireless sets etc to facilitate effective monitoring and control on the polling days.
There are a total of 8,109 polling stations in the State and for facilitating physically-challenged persons, instructions have been issued to ensure that all polling stations are located preferably at ground floor and ramps are also provided. Facilitation shall also be provided for locating the elector’s name against a polling station or a group of polling stations through help-lines and facilitation centres.
Based on the assessment of the ground situation, forces drawn from other States will be deployed during the forthcoming elections. These security personnel will be generally used for safeguarding the polling stations and for providing security to the electors and polling personnel at the polling stations on the polling day. Besides, these forces will be used for securing the strong rooms where the EVMs are stored and at the counting centres.
The Election Commission has also instructed the State Government not to associate any officer with the electoral process against whom charges have been framed in a court of law in any case.
The Election Commission has further stated that the poll schedule has been prepared after taking into account all relevant aspects like the climatic conditions, academic schedules, festivals, prevailing law and order situation and availability of Central Police Forces, besides assessment of other ground realities.
All Parties Hurriyat Conference has described announcement by Election Commission of India of holding another election drama in Jammu & Kashmir as one more indication of India’s intransigent approach towards resolving the Kashmir dispute.
Reacting to the announcement of polls, Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that the periodical elections for the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly and Indian Parliament could not provide any solution to the Kashmir imbroglio.
Another Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, who is currently undergoing treatment at New Delhi is reported to have said that for the people of elections were meaningless till they achieved freedom from Indian bondage. While the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Mohammad Yasin Malik averred that the struggle of Kashmiri people was aimed at resolving the Kashmir dispute and not for holding elections.
Welcoming the announcement of elections in the state National Conference (NC) president Omar Abdullah told News Agency of Kashmir that he was glad that the suspense over the announcement of polls ended, adding that now how good or bad the elections will be the time will tell. He said that now we can think of to get down with the process of electioneering.
However, another regional party People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is yet to open its cards.
Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami, state general secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), also welcomed the EC decision of J&K polls and said that elections were no solution to the problem of Kashmir.
“We welcome the decision and this has cleared many apprehensions. We are sure that the decision would prove to be a milestone in democratic history of the country and the state of Jammu and Kashmir in specific,” a senior BJP leader in Jammu said.