NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir, which witnessed record turnouts in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, has a rather busy security calendar in the months ahead. With the Amarnath yatra due to start on June 29 and stretching till Aug 19 and the impending polls at various levels — panchayat, urban bodies and assembly, of which the latter even faces a Sept 30 deadline set by the Supreme Court — the security arrangements involving large-scale deployment of central para-military forces across the UT, are unlikely to see any letup.
The back-to-back, high-security events may have to be managed such that the assembly polls in the Union Territory are completed by Sept 30, honouring the SC direction dated Dec 2023. Sources in the security agencies indicated that holding polls while the Amarnath yatra is underway may not be a feasible option as both events demand undivided attention and engagement of the security forces. Not only this, tying up the assembly polls with the panchayat/urban body polls in the UT may also not be advisable given that each candidate must be given a security shield against possible targeted attacks by terrorist outfits. In fact, this very reason was cited by Election Commission in March, for not holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in J&K.
Sources in J&K govt indicated that the ideal timing of J&K poll, going by security logistics and forces availability, may be soon after the Amarnath yatra winds up on Aug 19. This will leave EC adequate time to complete the exercise by the Sept 30 deadline. As for panchayat polls, they may have to wait until after the assembly polls. J&K govt is likely to set up a commission soon to re-verify the OBC castes to be extended reservation in panchayats. The panel will have a limited tenure; a source hinted it could be asked to submit its report in less than two months. Panchayat polls are likely to be held only after implementation of the panel’s recommendations.
Though EC decides the J&K assembly poll schedule, the local polls are conducted by the state election commission. However, before deciding the timing of any election in J&K, an assessment of the security situation in the UT is made in consultation with the Union home ministry.
While the annual Amarnath yatra anyway requires elaborate security arrangements that include heavy mobilisation of central forces, Sunday’s terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi, which left nine including the driver dead after the latter, hit by a bullet, lost control of the bus and it ended up in a gorge, has added further to the threat assessment, said an officer. With Jammu region seeing heightened terror activity in the past two years, sources said the counter-terror grid is being reoriented to focus on intelligence-based operations there, though the difficult terrain makes the response time longer as compared to Kashmir region.
The back-to-back, high-security events may have to be managed such that the assembly polls in the Union Territory are completed by Sept 30, honouring the SC direction dated Dec 2023. Sources in the security agencies indicated that holding polls while the Amarnath yatra is underway may not be a feasible option as both events demand undivided attention and engagement of the security forces. Not only this, tying up the assembly polls with the panchayat/urban body polls in the UT may also not be advisable given that each candidate must be given a security shield against possible targeted attacks by terrorist outfits. In fact, this very reason was cited by Election Commission in March, for not holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in J&K.
Sources in J&K govt indicated that the ideal timing of J&K poll, going by security logistics and forces availability, may be soon after the Amarnath yatra winds up on Aug 19. This will leave EC adequate time to complete the exercise by the Sept 30 deadline. As for panchayat polls, they may have to wait until after the assembly polls. J&K govt is likely to set up a commission soon to re-verify the OBC castes to be extended reservation in panchayats. The panel will have a limited tenure; a source hinted it could be asked to submit its report in less than two months. Panchayat polls are likely to be held only after implementation of the panel’s recommendations.
Though EC decides the J&K assembly poll schedule, the local polls are conducted by the state election commission. However, before deciding the timing of any election in J&K, an assessment of the security situation in the UT is made in consultation with the Union home ministry.
While the annual Amarnath yatra anyway requires elaborate security arrangements that include heavy mobilisation of central forces, Sunday’s terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi, which left nine including the driver dead after the latter, hit by a bullet, lost control of the bus and it ended up in a gorge, has added further to the threat assessment, said an officer. With Jammu region seeing heightened terror activity in the past two years, sources said the counter-terror grid is being reoriented to focus on intelligence-based operations there, though the difficult terrain makes the response time longer as compared to Kashmir region.
