The Election Commission will take the final decision on the matter

An additional 100 companies of paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the valley

Agencies

New Delhi, July 31:

In the backdrop of expedited troop deployment and uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre, on the sidelines of the ongoing Parliament session, has stated that assembly elections in the Valley are likely scheduled for October, this year.

A senior person in the government familiar with the development said, “Elections in Jammu and Kashmir will most likely be held in October. The Election Commission will take the final decision on the matter,” the person said, adding, the Centre had “no imminent plans of removing Article 35A in the immediate future.”

While an additional 100 companies of paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the valley, the Centre added that it was part of a routine induction and de-induction exercise.

While the Opposition has repeatedly raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha, home minister Amit Shah had also assured the Opposition that the Centre wanted free and fair elections conducted in Jammu and Kashmir, after the situation was deemed conducive by the EC.

While the Hurriyat Conference has been claiming that the Centre was yet to reach out to the Separatists for a discussion, the above quoted person said the Centre was of the opinion that the former group held no relevance.

“We have no reason to (hold talks). They have no relevance in the entire discourse in Kashmir. We are doing things the democratic way,” the person said on the condition of anonymity.