The elections to 90-member Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases, from September 18 to October 1, this year, ending nearly a decade-long Governor’s rule. The polls will be taking place for the first time after Article 370 was scrapped on August 2019 to turn J&K into a Union Territory.
The last phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir on October 1 will coincide with the voting in Haryana for 90 Assembly seats. Results for both Assembly elections are scheduled to be declared on October 4, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said in a press conference on Friday.
The Assembly elections for the two other States of Maharashtra and Jharkhand will be held later, Kumar said in the presence of Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
Similarly, by-polls to 46 Assembly seats, including 12 in Uttar Pradesh, and one Lok Sabha constituency too will take place later when the weather becomes conducive since many regions are currently impacted by floods, Kumar said.
Shorter polls
Keeping our promise of keeping polls shorter, the three-phase elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, September 25 and October 1, CEC Kumar told the media. It was in five phases during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
While 24 seats will go to the polls in the first phase in J&K, polls will be held in 26 seats for the second phase and remaining 40 seats in the last phase, as per the ECI.
The CEC said, “During Lok Sabha elections in J&K, people were there to participate in the elections. The long queues and the shine on their faces were a testament to this...There was thriving political participation in the entire election...We want the layers of democracy to be strengthened in J&K...”
Though Kumar accepted that the security scenario has changed since the Lok Sabha elections owing to increase in terrorist activities mostly in the Jammu region, he said people have taken upon themselves to fight out the design threatening to disturb the poll process besides adequate deployment of security forces.
Of the 90 Assembly constituencies in J&K, 74 are general, 7 reserved for Scheduled Castes and 9 for Scheduled Tribes, Kumar elaborated. There will be a total of 87.09 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir, of which 44.46 lakh are males, 42.62 lakh are females, 3.71 lakh are first-time voters and 20.7 lakh are young voters.
The Amarnath Yatra will end on August 19 and the final voter list will also be published on August 20, said the CEC.
‘Not delayed at all’
When asked why did the ECI cross the September 30 deadline fixed by the Supreme Court to complete election process in the J&K, the CEC said that there is no way the commission could have done better owing to back to back events from Lok Sabha elections to Amarnath Yatra which is ending on August 19 and festivals.
“We are not delayed at all” and “important is that we go by the spirit” of the SC judgement, CEC Kumar remarked.
The CEC assured that all the candidates and important political leaders will get adequate uniform security on the assessment of Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure large participation of the people in the democratic exercise. He said during the commission’s visit to the UT, political leaders had raised this demand.
There are a total of 90 Assembly constituencies in Haryana, of which 73 are for general candidates and 17 reserved for SC candidates. There will be a total of 2.01 crore voters in Haryana, of which 1.06 crore are males, 0.95 crore are females, 4.52 lakhs are first-time voters and 40.95 lakhs are young voters. The electoral roll of Haryana will be published on 27th August 2024.
On why Assembly polls in Maharashtra have been staggered, he said, “Last time, Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections were held together. At that time, J&K was not a factor but this time there are four elections this year and the fifth election, immediately after this, is to start with J&K, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi. Depending on the requirement of forces, we have decided to conduct two elections together...The other factor is that there was heavy rainfall in Maharashtra and there are several festivals lined up too like Ganesh Chathurthi and Navratra...”
The tenure of the existing Legislative Assembly in Haryana is ending on November 3 and that of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on November 26.
Like the Lok Sabha, the ECI has made it clear to the district magistrates and other officials of the poll-bound States that Model Code of Conduct should be strictly followed and interference will be dealt with severely.