Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): As Election Commission of India on Thursday arrived in Kashmir on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, regional political parties expressed hope that the central poll panel will conduct the much-delayed assembly elections in the UT.
The recognised parties' representatives met the ECI in Srinagar at SKICC and demanded that the commission must restore the democratic space in Jammu and Kashmir.
National Conference provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani said that NC is now hopeful that the commission will hold assembly elections this time.
"The meeting with ECI was positive and we are now hopeful that the commission will not delay the polls any further. The ECI said that they had to prepare for the polls as well," Wani said.
BJP spokesperson R S Pathania said that the party demanded holding of assembly elections before September 30 as per the directions of the Supreme Court.
Pathania said that they are hopeful that the polls will be held on scheduled, adding that the Government of India is also keen to restore the demarcatic space in Jammu and Kashmir.
Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said they vehemently demanded that the polls be held as the situation demands and the polls should not be delayed further as the Jammu and Kashmir are deprived of their representatives from the last ten years.
ECI team led by the chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and two Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu are on a two days visit to Jammu and Kashmir for the upcoming assembly elections.
The ECI team will meet district commissioners and SSPs of the 20 districts in Srinagar and on Friday they will hold meetings with chief secretary Atal Dullo and Director General of Police R R Swain in Srinagar before they leave for Jammu where they will meet security agencies and hold a press conference about their visit.
