Full EC to review Assembly election preparedness in J&K

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 30: Full Election Commission of India will visit Jammu and Kashmir once again, this time for two days most likely on November 10 and 11, to review election preparedness of the administration and steps taken by the authorities to ensure massive turnout for five phase polling in the State, beginning November 25 even as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today decided to deploy Border Security Force (BSF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which were guarding Indo-Pakistan and Sino-Indian Border respectively as additional Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the elections without disturbing the border security.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the full Election Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) VS Sampath and comprising Election Commissioners HS Brahma and Naseem Zaidi and Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir on two days visit of Jammu and Kashmir most likely from November 10 to review arrangements for the Assembly elections in the State.
Unlike October 18 when the full Commission had only visited Srinagar before taking a decision on whether to go ahead with the Assembly elections or defer them following opposition (to the elections) by ruling National Conference, the full Commission this time will visit both regions of the State including Jammu and Kashmir. However, a decision on their visit to Ladakh will be taken later.
The full Commission will meet senior officers of Election Department in Jammu and Kashmir, top brass of police and civil administration including Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey and Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar and representatives of all political parties. They will review in detail the election preparedness by both civil and police administration, deployment of additional CAPFs and police, arrangements at polling stations, security measures in militancy-infested areas, airlifting of polling staff and security personnel in snow bound and mountainous polling stations and other arrangements.
The full Election Commission had visited Srinagar on October 18, met top officers of Election Department, civil and police administration and representatives of political parties before taking a decision on going ahead with Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in November-December.
Meanwhile, sources said, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided that BSF and ITBP apart from CRPF, SSB and RPF will be part of additional 520 companies of para-military forces being deployed for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
BSF has been deployed along International Border in Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan etc while ITBP was guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along with China in Ladakh and North East. However, the Centre has decided that BSF and ITBP will not be disturbed from the border duty and companies being sent for elections will be recalled from some other States.
Sources said the additional para-military forces from the Centre will start reaching Jammu and Kashmir on November 5 and deployment for first phase of elections will be in place well before the elections along with existing forces and police parties.
“The deployment of additional para-military forces will start immediately after their arrival. The forces will be airlifted wherever required and sent by roads in other areas. A high level team of officers has already been constituted to coordinate deployment of para-military forces,” sources said.
Meanwhile, no nomination form has been filed so far even three days after the issuance of notification for first phase of elections in six Assembly constituencies of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts and four seats of Ladakh region.
The candidates have, however, secured 13 nomination forms each in Kishtwar and Doda districts-including seven each in Kishtwar and Doda Assembly segments and six each in Inderwal and Bhaderwah constituencies while in Ramban district, three nomination forms have been taken by the candidates for Ramban segment and six for Banihal.
In all four segments of Ladakh (two each in Leh and Kargil districts), no nomination form has been filed so far, sources said.

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