The Election Commission announced assembly polls in Jammu & Kashmir, ending a 10 year-wait for political parties since the last state elections and honouring Supreme Court’s Sept 30 deadline. This will be the first assembly poll in J&K since the nullification of Article 370 and its reorganisation as a Union Territory. Alongside J&K, Haryana will go to polls on Oct 1.
Staggered over just three phases, the upcoming J&K election is perhaps the shortest in several decades, with polling to be conducted over a 14-day period between Sept 18 and Oct 1. Counting for both will be held Oct 4, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said in a statement.
Assembly elections in Maharashtra have been deferred due to security requirements for J&K, besides rains and festivals in the state.
Congress will look to preempt a BJP hat-trick in Haryana, and pull off a good show in J&K, alongside allies NC and PDP. BJP is banking on its course correction with appointment of CM Nayab Saini and its narrative of development post-370 to boost its performance and blunt the opposition’s claims of a loss of face and numbers in 2024 LS polls.
The shortened poll schedule is not the only first in regard to J&K. This is also the first polls after the implementation of ST quota in assembly seats post-abrogation of Special Status on August 5, 2019. J&K will become the third UT, after Delhi and Puducherry, to have an elected assembly. The strength of J&K assembly has grown to 90 from 83 since the last polls, with Jammu region getting six of the seven additional seats. Nine seats - almost a tenth of the total strength - have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes; six of these seats are in Jammu. Seven seats, all in Jammu, are reserved for STs.
While upholding the Article 370 abrogation and reorganisation of J&K last year, Supreme Court had directed EC to hold polls in the UT by Sept 30. CEC Kumar said given the window available after the completion of Amarnath Yatra, the polls were being held “well within the time period”.
“The EC will ensure that all layers of democracy are strengthened with high participation of people as well as candidates, more campaign rallies and meetings and wider use of IT apps like CVigil and Suvidha,” CEC Kumar said. He added and said EC’s confidence lies in the people of J&K who are keen on change and also want to be agents of that change by choosing ballot over bullet and boycott.
Citing the record turnouts in J&K in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the CEC said, “Time has come to erect the building on the solid foundation laid during the 2024 general election.” Polls represent an opportunity to key regional players of J&K, National Conference and PDP, which will seek to return to office after their near-marginalisation in the six years of central rule.
