JAMMU: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday said that the EC was committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and would not allow any internal or external forces derail the electoral process.Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said all parties in Jammu and Kashmir are “batting strongly” for holding assembly elections.”We are committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and we will not let any internal or external forces derail the election,” Kumar said.”All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are batting strongly for holding assembly elections as soon as possible,” he added.An Election Commission delegation led by Kumar is in Jammu and Kashmir on a three-day visit to review the preparedness of the administration as well as the security agencies for the conduct of the polls.On the second day of their visit on Friday, the EC delegation that also includes Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, held discussions with Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary Atal Dullo and the Union Terrtory’s police chief R R Swain, officials said.Assembly polls have not been held in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014.The polls were due to be held in early 2019 following the dissolution of the legislative body of the erstwhile state in 2018.However, after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories in August 2019, the Assembly polls could not be held due to various reasons, including a delimitation exercise completed in 2022.In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024.
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