Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held after completion of the ongoing delimitation process, and statehood will be restored once there is normalcy in the Valley, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday, 22 January.
Speaking at the virtual launch of the District Good Governance Index in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said, “As far as the democratic process is concerned, the delimitation process has started. After it is completed, we will hold the elections."
“Certain people have said many things, but I want to assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that I have stated in the Parliament that the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir will be restored. As soon as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir becomes normal, the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir will be restored,” Shah stated at the virtual event.
After the abrogation of Article 370 that granted special status to the erstwhile state, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh had become two separate Union territories on 31 October 2019.
Delimitation, defined by the Election Commission as an “act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province (state or Union Territory) having a legislative body,” is presently underway for Jammu and Kashmir.
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