Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls: EC to seek clarifications from MHA, take legal opinion

Srinagar, May 01: The Election Commission has it will seek further clarification from the ministry of home affairs on certain aspects for the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

The 'full Commission', comprising Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and fellow commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, met here to discuss the stand of the Jammu and Kashmir administration which wants the election to be held sometime in November.

The Commission decided that it will also seek the opinion of "an eminent Legal Expert" on the ongoing President's rule in the state. The poll panel has held several deliberations on the matter till now.

The governor's office and the MHA have recommended holding elections in September, while observers had said that the polls could be conducted once the Lok Sabha polls end.

Jammu and Kashmir has not an elected government since the PDP-BJP coalition government fell apart in June 2018.

The state was placed under Governor's Rule, as provided by the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, on June 19, 2018, after the BJP withdrew from its coalition with the PDP.

As mandated by the Constitution, the state was brought under President's Rule on 19 December 2018, which will have to be extended for a period of six months on May 19, 2019, or till an elected government is put in place, whichever is earlier.