New Delhi: Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government will have no objection in holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir along with general elections slated later this year if the Election Commission of India so desired. Replying to the debate on the statutory resolution on imposition of President’s Rule in the state, Mr Singh said the Centre would provide whatever security forces the poll panel wanted for the electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution was passed by a voice vote.

The state was last month placed under President’s Rule, six months after the BJP pulled out of the Mehbooba Mufti-led government and the state was put under Governor’s Rule. After 1996, this is the first time the Central rule has been imposed in the militancy-hit state.

“If Election Commission wants (to hold elections in state along with general elections), our government will have no objection,” Mr Singh said. He said there would be no obstruction from the Centre for holding elections in the state. “We are willing to provide whatever security force the Election Commission wants for holding elections there,” he added.

Rejecting the Opposition criticism that BJP’s “unnatural” alliance with the PDP had alienated population, he reeled out statistics to drive home the development without appeasement agenda of his party.

“There was no conspiracy not to allow any other party to form the government,” he said in response to the Opposition charge that the governor did not allow the National Congress, PDP and Congress to form an alternate government.