If delimitation was necessary, the administration could have done it earlier’ Former CM Abdullah

Former Chief Minister and J-K National Conference (JKNC) Vice President Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised the central government for conducting a delimitation exercise before the urban local body polls and said that if delimitation was necessary, the administration could have done it earlier.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the tenure of panchayat representatives ended on Tuesday, whereas the tenure of urban local bodies ended last month, and there is no clarity on when the next election for both will be held, as the Union government has decided to first conduct a delimitation exercise.

Reacting to this, former CM Abdullah said, “Unfortunately, polls are not being held here. We often say that India is the mother of democracy.

If India is the mother of democracy, then why not in Jammu and Kashmir? Why is democracy being murdered in Jammu and Kashmir? If delimitation was necessary for urban local body polls, the administration could have done it much earlier; why did they wait till the term of elected bodies was over?”

“The panchayats are over. You knew the fact that the term of panchayats is 5 years; couldn’t you start the election process in four and a half years? First, you finished assembly, then urban local bodies and now panchayats,” the former CM said while addressing a press conference.

Hitting out at the Election Commission for not taking the necessary steps to hold assembly elections in J-K, the JKNC Vice President said, “The Election Commission should be ashamed; the decision on the assembly election that was supposed to be taken by them is being taken by the Supreme Court.”

Earlier, on December 11, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to take necessary steps for holding elections to the legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, next year.

The direction came during a hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the revocation of special constitutional privileges to the erstwhile state under Article 370 by the Centre.
In a landmark ruling, the five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the Centre’s abrogation of Article 370, saying it was a temporary provision and the President had the power to revoke it.

Several petitions were filed in the top court, including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists, politicians and political parties, challenging the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, by virtue of which Jammu and Kashmir was split into two Union Territories–Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

On August 5, 2019, the Centre announced the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 and split the region into two UTs.