Election in Jammu & Kashmir by end of 2019: Home Minister Amit Shah

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New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that restoring an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir was government’s top priority and Assembly elections could be held by the end of the year.

Moving a resolution for extension of President’s Rule for six months from July 3 and also the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Shah said law and order situation in the state has improved and the government was committed to rooting out terrorism in the state.

“Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held at the appropriate time and it is possible that it could be held by the end of this year,” Shah said in Lok Sabha adding that the Election Commission has taken a decision in regard.

He said dates for the elections will be announced by the Commission. Shah said in the last three decades, elections in Jammu and Kashmir had never been held during the months of Ramzan and Amarnath Yatra, which will begin from July 30 and conclude on August 15. Shah, who is also President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the government has adopted a ‘zero tolerance’ policy in the state and as a result of that, law and order situation in the state improved.

“In last one year, Panchayat polls were conducted in the state and that too without any disturbances. There was no violence and voting percentage also increased. This shows that law and order situation in the state is under control,” he reiterated.