Election Commission meeting on J-K poll schedule gets differing views (Update/Election Commission meeting)

The Election Commission meeting with all political parties of Jammu and Kashmir to determine the timing of the State Assembly elections on Monday evoked differing views.

New Delhi, Sept 8 : The Election Commission meeting with all political parties of Jammu and Kashmir to determine the timing of the State Assembly elections on Monday evoked differing views.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left parties demanded that elections be held on time, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Panthers Party wanted delimitation to be done first before finalising the date.

However, the Congress left the timing to be decided by the Commission.

"We will cooperate whatever the dates the EC decides," said Union Minister of State in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan, who along with PCC chief Saifuddin Soz and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad attended the meeting.

After the meeting, the BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters that the party favoured elections to be held by November end, while pointing out that, "even in 2002 the situation was very bad, but still the elections were held in the state."

Expressing similar views that elections should be held on time, the Communist Party of India (CPI) National Secretary D Raja said: "But the EC should ensure free and fair polls,"

The Commission elicited the views of leaders of different parties separately. After receiving inputs from political parties, the Commission is expected to meet the Union Home Secretary to take the Government's view on elections.As Governor's rule in the state ends on January 10, the Commission had decided to call leaders of seven national parties and three state parties to assess the situation after doubts were expressed whether polls could be held in the wake of the recent violence in the state.

In the normal course, the tenure of the Assembly was to expire on 20th November. But, the State Assembly was dissolved on July 10 after former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad quit in July following the withdrawal of support by the People's Democratic Party over the Amarnath forestland row.

ANI