Anantnag LS seat bypoll to be delayed till March 2017

The bypoll to the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat is set to be delayed till March next year as the Election Commission has concurred with a report of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer that early winters and law and order situation in the area are not conducive to hold the electoral exercise now.

State Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had resigned from the seat on July 4 to contest the Anantnag assembly bypoll, a seat which fell vacant following the demise of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

The Election Commission is mandated to hold bypolls within six months of the seat falling vacant. But that six month period ends on January 4.
 

As deferring polls or bypolls beyond six months is beyond the mandate of the Commission, it has now, under Section 151 A of the Representation of the People Act, certified to the Law Ministry that it has difficulties in holding the bypolls.

Now, the Legislative Department in the Law Ministry will issue a notification in this regard shortly, sources in the government said.

But, the Commission's earlier plans to hold the bypoll had to be put on hold when the state Chief Secretary had in October asked the poll body to delay the electoral exercise due to law and order situation.

The Commission then asked state CEO Shantmanu to give a ground report based on inputs by stakeholders and law and order machinery.

While some political parties said they cannot campaign in this condition on the ground, others wondered how the state machinery was not in a position to hold polls. A few parties said they would go with the decision of the Commission.

Sources in the Commission said he has suggested that the bypolls to Anantnag and Srinagar be clubbed together and held sometime in late March.

Bypoll to the Srinagar seat was necessitated after PDP MP Tariq Hamid Qarra had on October 17 resigned from his seat to protest alleged excesses on the people during unrest in the Valley. The six month period of the Srinagar seat by which fresh polls need to be held will end in April next.

Based on the CEO's report, the Commission has approached the Law Ministry to issue a notification postponing the Anantnag bypoll beyond the six month period.