Elections in J&K will be held soon: Lieutenant Governor

Ahead of first-year-anniversary of abrogation of article 370 and 35A, Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu said elections will be held in J&K soon and the Election Commission (EC) to decide on the exact date of the Assembly Polls soon.

Murmu said that Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has witnessed tremendous development in the last year. "Some people are seeing electricity for the first time in 70 years," he added.

Emphasising on participation from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Governor said there has been a lot of changes in the Union Territory with unprecedented participation of the people. He further stated that the administration prioritised the development of the region with the youth-oriented programs. On August 5 last year, the Central government abrogated special status of the erstwhile state and also announced its bifurcation into two Union Territories (UT) - Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

People's mood is upbeat and there's only some disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "Normalcy persists in J&K," Murmu said in an interview with Times Now.

Talking about release of Mehbooba Mufti former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, LG said a continuous assessment of the situation is taking place and accordingly "we will be making a decision on the release of the leaders."

"There are definite guidelines and provisions for the release of the leaders. The time prescribed under the law will be followed," he added. Mufti's detention under Public Safety Act (PSA) was extended by three months on Friday.

Mufti was among several J&K leaders who were taken into preventive custody on August 4 last year, just before the Centre’s announcement on bifurcating the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories and rolling back the special status guaranteed under Article 370.

The current detention order of the former chief minister was going to expire on August 5 this year. According to an order issued by the Home Department duly signed by Home Secretary Shaleen Kabra, Mufti will continue to remain under detention for another three months at her official residence at Fairview Bungalow, which has been declared a subsidiary jail.

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