The Election Commission reprimanded Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor GC Murmu for his recent statements on election timing in the erstwhile state, underlining that it was improper and amounted to interfering with the poll panel’s mandate.
Tuesday’s statement came after Mr. Murmu said the elections to the J-K assembly would be held after the delimitation exercise.
Lt Governor Murmu last month had told a national newspaper that he did not see a problem in holding elections except the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Election Commission takes exception to such statements and would like to state that in the Constitutional scheme of things, the timings etc. of elections is the sole remit of Election Commission of India,” the commission said in a statement.
The poll panel statement appeared to suggest that the decision on the election dates was a lot more complex than it was made out to be.
The EC, before coming out with the election dates, takes relevant factors into consideration, the statement said. These, it said, include the topography, weather, sensitivities arising out of regional and local festivities in the area(s) where the election is to take place.
