India / Delimitation has to happen at quick pace so polls can happen in J&K: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the delimitation exercise needs to be completed quickly so that Jammu and Kashmir can get an elected government. PM Modi in a tweet said that the government’s priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Our priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Delimitation has to happen at a quick pace so that polls can happen and Jammu and Kashmir gets an elected government that gives strength to Jammu and Kashmir’s development trajectory,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet after meeting the leaders from the Valley.

Sharing a photo of the meeting, PM Modi wrote, " Our democracy’s biggest strength is the ability to sit across a table and exchange views. I told the leaders of J&K that it is the people, specially the youth who have to provide political leadership to J&K, and ensure their aspirations are duly fulfilled."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha met with Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tara Chand and GA Mir; National Conference's Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah; PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, J-K Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari; BJP's Ravinder Raina, Nirmal Singh, and Kavinder Gupta; CPI(M)'s M Y Tarigami; National Panthers Party's Prof Bheem Singh; and Peoples Conference's Sajad Gani Lone for the first time after the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status.

Leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah asked the prime minister to restore full statehood and address trust deficit among the people. Union minister Jitendra Singh who was also present at the meeting said that polls will be held as soon as the delimitation process is completed.

“The next important step in the democratic process in J-K is assembly polls and we have to move to it together. For this, the delimitation process will have to be completed swiftly so that all sections get proper political representation in assembly,” Singh said in a video message.

Omar Abdullah also said that the central leadership understood that the government cannot be run by bureaucrats and a political government needs to take the lead.