Assembly elections
J&K State was expecting that the authorities will hold assembly and parliamentary elections together. Their optimism was because of the fact that Union Home Ministry dispatched lot of additional paramilitary forces for holding of parliamentary elections. It was expected by mainstream political parties especially National Conference that the Central Government will hold the assembly elections also along with parliamentary polls. ECI finally decided to hold State assembly elections separately, making the mainstream political parties especially Omar Abdullah to fume.
All the mainstream political parties including National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and State Congress have been demanding early polls in the State. J&K State is under President’s rule and the current six month term will end on July 2, 2019. All these parties especially National Conference has been blaming State Governor Satya Pal Malik for creating impediments in holding of early polls. Both Omar and Farooq Abdullah have blamed Central Government for the delay in the polls.
Abdullah’s have a belief that if early elections would have been held in J&K State they would have got a chance to power. They were feeling in the ground that PDP was not enough powerful to give them any tough fight in the Kashmir Valley and other Muslim dominated areas of J&K State. Central Government has said that they will hold the polls only after the feedback from the ground. ECI after sending its special team to J&K State to assess the situation has finally decided to have wider consultations for the holding of assembly elections in the State including with Union Home Ministry for the security.