JAMMU:  S.B.Chavan on Saturday said at a news conference here that elections to the J and K State Assembly and Lok Sabha would be held as soon as possible.

Giving his impressions about the current situation at the end of a one-day visit to Rajauri Poonch areas near the line of actual control he said he situation was now favorable and people seemed to be fed up totally with the militancy in Jammu as well as in the Kashmir valley.

This was his cursory view after   days visit and could be termed as a preliminary assessment. Chavan could understand the people want an elected government as early as possible.

In reply to a question he said although census operations could have been held in 1991 in Jammu and Kashmir yet it was not an impediment in the way of holding of elections in the state G.C-Saxena Governor J and K who was present at the news conference shot back that only termination needed to be done which was under progress. Only 11 mote seats were to be created for the state assembly.

Saxena said that final delimitation Assembly seats would be announced in a few months’ time and it was permissible under the constitution to do so.

Chavan said elections to the state “Assembly and the Lok Sabha in J and K would be held straight instead of going in first for elections to the local bodies and Panchayats.

In a reply to a question Chavan said the people were prepared to have an elected “government and Political parties should also be prepared for such a situation. He would like the Congressmen to go to the villages to meet people to help solve their problems and to work among the masses he said

Asked as to by which date it would be possible to provide an anonymous council to people in Ladakh Chavan said he could not fix any date as it was for the Central Committee for Political Affairs (CCPA) to decide about finally However Saxena intervened and said that there had been three rounds of Talks between the Union Minister and the representatives of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and the people from

The Home Minister would again hold a meeting on May 201992 to make a final decision or the issue remarked the Governor.

When asked about his reaction to problems faced by the people of Jammu region Chavan said that there were no particular problems faced by people in Jammu region These were the problems faced by people throughout the country.

When asked about his reasons for concluding that the situation in Jand K was favorable for elections the Home Minister shot back “I would not like to discuss such things here”

In reply to a question whether militancy was spreading Jammu region especially in view of killing of three policemen in Doda district by militants Saxena said that there had been militancy in Jammu region too but it was well contained. It was due to the cooperation of the people and their good sense that they were able to contain militancy said the Governor.

Asked about the Sopore incident which was agitating the people in Kashmir valley Saxena said it was unfortunate.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 1, 1992