The ground situation in the Valley is not conducive for conduct of elections either for Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly. Though the election commission team visited the state and met almost all political parties but what transpired did not represent the ground reality.
First of all the atmosphere has to be made conducive. Ground situation tells us that conditions are not favourable for any kind of polls in a situation which is not only tense on borders but there is a simmering anger among people due to reports of proposed fiddling with the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Amid this situation, the responsibility of the state is to ensure peaceful elections and that can be achieved only if the atmosphere is made feasible. The political parties should not link elections with politics and should honour the will of the people. No such step should be taken that would hurt the sentiments of the people in Kashmir valley who have already been the worst sufferers of the decades old conflict. The security agencies have also reportedly expressed their concerns vis-à-vis holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in J&K simultaneously. Need of the hour is that the government of India should rise above politics and show magnanimity in addressing the bruised sentiments in Kashmir valley before they decide anything on holding elections in this trouble torn state.
