Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday asked the regional parties to cooperate with the delimitation commission “to speed up the process for early assembly elections” in the Union Territory.
“Those demanding early Assembly polls in J&K must help and cooperate with the delimitation commission so that the process is completed and Assembly polls are held in the UT,” Mr. Sinha said.
The statement comes days after the National Conference’s Members of Parliament boycotted the first meeting of the delimitation commission in New Delhi. Only BJP MPs attended it.
“Instead of criticising the delimitation process and staying away from the exercise, politicians must help to end the exercise,” he stated.
The Election Commission of India would assess the situation immediately after the delimitation process is over. “Accordingly, it will announce the poll dates,” he said.
Citing the undergoing judicial scrutiny of the J&K Reorganization Act 2019, NC MPs, including its president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, had expressed their inability to associate with the delimitation commission. They had urged its chairman “not to go ahead with the proceedings as it may amount to exercise of powers under an Act constitutional validity whereof is being examined by the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court and is, therefore, at present constitutionally suspect law”.
