Major administrative reshuffle before announcement of election dates in Jammu and Kashmir, 200 officers transferred

Srinagar: The Election Commission will announce the dates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections today. Before that there has been a major administrative reshuffle in the state. The government has transferred about 200 civil and police officers in the state.

Last evening has witnessed 88 IAS and KAS officers of various departments were transferred, while today 33 police officers from IG to SSP rank were transferred, including IG CID, Range DIG and full charge of District SSP. Sources say that another list of transfers is expected to be released in the next 3 hours.

IAS Abhishek Sharma, who was the Deputy Commissioner of Samba, has been transferred and appointed Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri. Vikas Kundal, Managing Director of Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited, has been appointed Deputy Commissioner of Poonch, giving him additional charge of the post of Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Power Corporation Limited.

Mr. Shakeel UI Rehman Rather, Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora has been transferred and posted as Director, Floriculture and Horticulture Department, Kashmir. Majid Khalil Ahmed Drabu, who was posted as Controller in Legal Metrology, Jammu and Kashmir, has been appointed Mission Director, ICPS, Jammu and Kashmir.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah posted on X, ‘The Jammu and Kashmir administration had to call officers to work on Independence Day in the Secretariat and Police Headquarters to order this massive reshuffle, I have come to know that they had absolutely no idea that the Election Commission would announce the election dates today. This is even more reason why the Election Commission should look at this transfer order from the prism of free and fair elections. The National Conference suspects that the Lieutenant Governor’s intention has been partisan.’

Elections on 90 seats
Assembly elections could not be held in Jammu and Kashmir for a long time due to the delimitation work not being completed. After the delimitation of May, 2022, the number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has now become 90. In this way, elections are to be held on 43 assembly seats in Jammu and 47 assembly seats in Kashmir. In 2014, elections were held on 87 assembly seats, in which 37 seats were from Jammu and 46 seats were from Kashmir Valley, 6 seats from Ladakh.

Last time elections were held in 2014
Before the reorganization of the state, the last elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly were held in the year 2014. Then about 65 percent voting took place for the 87 seats of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Talking about the election results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got the highest 23 percent votes but the party was second after the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with 25 seats. The PDP then emerged as the largest party by winning 28 seats.