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Says no interest in having President’s rule, statehood to follow after polls

Jahangeer Ganaie

Srinagar, Mar 30 (KNO): Elections in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory will be held after delimitation process is over besides consultation with political parties, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.

He said that elections will be held soon delimitation process will be completed and after consultation with political parties as “we have no interest in keeping Jammu and Kashmir under President’s rule.”

While responding to the concerns raised by members on Kashmir during the discussion on the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Shah said that he had already made it clear that first panchayat elections will be held followed by the process of delimitation and then assembly elections after which statehood will be restored.

As opposition members were accusing government of delaying elections in J&K, he said that panchayat and DDC elections were held peacefully and delimitation process is about to be completed. “After that we will consult political parties and take decision about election,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Jammu and Kashmir is under President rule since 2018 when BJP ended coalition with PDP.

In August 2019, the article 370 giving J&K a special status was abrogated and bifurcated into two Union Territories J&K and Ladakh—(KNO)