Srinagar : Jammu & Kashmir People’s Democratic Front (J&K PDF) on Monday urged the Election Commission of India to hold fair assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as early as possible to restore democracy. The party has also stressed the need to protect the special identity and demography of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to a statement issued by the party here, while participating in all party meeting convened by the Chief Electoral Officer, the PDF leaders including Mushtaq Shameem and Tajinder Singh urged the need for holding early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in fair and transparent manner. They said that early assembly elections were imperative to revive democracy and restoration of an elected civilian government so that people could redressal their grievances through their elected representatives.
The leaders on this occasion reiterated that in absence of an elected government, there was a wide disconnect between bureaucracy and common people which has compounded theirproblems.
In a concluding para of the above referred statement, the PDF leaders also urged the government to clear all apprehensions about addition of about 25 lakh new voters adding that only names of elegible native domiciles should be enrolled in the electoral rolls. “Apprehensions among the people about addition of 25 lakh new voters including outside people residing ordinarily in Jammu and Kashmir should be addressed in un- ambiguous terms ,” the PDF leaders said adding that allowing nonresident people to cast votes in assembly elections would change demography of Jammu and Kashmir . The people of Jammu and Kashmir would losetheir right to elect their public representatives if outside people are allowed to register their names in the electoral rolls on one pretext or the other . The participant leaders of PDF urged the CEO to restore confidence and remove trust deficit among the people about fairness and transparency of electoral democracy.
