Saba Khan
Srinagar, March 13: The three special observers appointed the Election Commission of India are expected to arrive in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow to gauge mood and to assess the prevailing security situation in the Valley and to submit feed to the ECI so that a final call on holding Assembly polls is taken.
Talking exclusively to Kashmir Indepth, Chief Electoral Officer (J&K), Shalidner Kumar said that the three observers met ECI on Tuesday and were mandated to review and to assess the situation in Kashmir so that a final consensus on holding Assembly polls is taken.
Three observers—former civil servants, AmarJeet Singh Gill, former DG CRPF Noor Muhamamd, and Vinod Zutshi an IAS officer were appointed by the ECI to assess the ground situation in Kashmir and that they also have a mandate to meet the political parties, heads of security agencies, and also the local people. “The aim is to build consensus on holding Assembly polls at the appropriate time,” sources said. ECI recently announced that only Lok Sabha polls will be held in Kashmir and Assembly polls will be deferred due to the security scenario prevailing in the state.
Security situation in Kashmir turned more fragile after the deadly suicide attack on the CRPF convoy at Lethpora, Pulwama on February 14 that left 40 CRPF men dead and over two dozen injured.
The three observers, sources said are expected to prepare a detailed report that they will submit to the ECI so that a final call is taken on holding Assembly polls already due for the trouble-ravaged state of Jammu and Kashmir.
