Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Sunday urged the election commission to hold assembly elections and parliamentary polls in Jammu and Kashmir simultaneously.

Addressing a one-day workers meeting in Bishna here, the former minister said people of the Union Territory have been denied an elected government for the last five years.

"We demand holding of legislative assembly polls in J&K with forthcoming parliamentary elections to end the bureaucratic rule," he said, also demanding immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the Supreme Court has also directed the Centre to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir before September 2024.

"The atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir has changed since the day when the people of the erstwhile state were stripped of their special status (under Article 370) on August 5, 2019. They are eagerly waiting for an opportunity to elect their representatives who can protect their rights," he said.

The Apni Party leader congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for adding four more communities to the list of scheduled tribes in J&K.

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