Elections

JK CEO seeks proposal submission for appointment of Returning Officers for Lok Sabha, Assembly polls

REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has asked Deputy Commissioners of all districts to submit proposals for appointment of Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers for both the elections– JK Assembly and the Lok Sabha– hinted to be held next year, Indian Express reported.

The Deputy Commissioners are to submit the proposals to the CEO’s office within two days for further submission to the Election Commission of India.

According to the report, the directive was issued following a direction from the ECI for updating the previous appointments of ROs and AROs.

The EC has to hold Assembly election within six months of the order of the dissolution, which was given by Governor Satya Pal Malik on November 21. The outer limit ends on May 21, 2019.

ALSO READ: GoI wanted me to install Sajad Lone as JK CM, had I listened, I would have become ‘dishonest forever’, says Guv Malik

For the time being, Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls is in progress which ends on December 23. The final publication of electoral rolls will be on January 22 next year.

The report states that Lok Sabha and state assemblies polls in 2019 simultaneously would help save the state exchequer’s money expenditure and the authorities the hassle of ‘seeking additional deployment of security forces time and again’.

Regional mainstream party National Conference (NC)’s President Farooq Abdullah and Vice-president Omar Abdullah have called for holding both elections together.

ALSO READ: Assembly, Lok Sabha elections in JK likely to be held together next year: Report

Congress’s chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said Assembly elections should be held within six months so that people of the state have a democratically elected government.

BJP spokesperson Sunil Sethi said it was for the Governor-led administration to decide whether the situation was congenial for holding the Assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls simultaneously.

CPI(M)’s M Y Tarigami, however, has urged the ECI not to delay the polls. “…I would say that the sooner, the better,’’ he said.

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