The first Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election in a decade will be held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1, the Election Commission of India announced on Friday (August 16, 2024). This will also be the first Assembly poll in J&K since Article 370 was abrogated in 2019.
Haryana will vote in a single phase on October 1, and counting of votes for both States will be held on October 4.
“People in Jammu and Kashmir opted for ballots instead of bullet and boycott [during the recent Lok Sabha election]. The valley reached a new peak, witnessing a 30 point jump in poll participation from 2019,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference to announce the poll dates, flanked by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S.S. Sandhu.
The counting of votes will take place on October 4, 2024.
Security deployment
Mr. Kumar noted that conducting the Assembly election in J&K requires considerable deployment of Central and State police forces to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections with fearless participation of voters, especially in vulnerable areas.
“Mobilisation, deployment and disengagement of these forces with minimum criss-cross movement and optimal utilisation involved complex planning and detailed analysis, carried out over several rounds of consultations with the senior officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs/[Central Armed Police Forces] CAPFs/Police Nodal Officers of the State/UT,” he added.
Slew of transfers
Asked about the series of transfers and postings which took place in the J&K administration late on Thursday (August 15, 2024) evening and Friday (August 16, 2024) morning just hours before the poll date announcement, Mr. Kumar said that the government was permitted to transfer officials until the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect. However, he promised that the ECI will intervene if any official who has been transferred is found interfering in the free and fair conduct of the polls, and will not allow the level-playing field to be disturbed.
The simplification of the voting process for Kashmiri migrants, which had been initiated during the Lok Sabha poll, will continue in the Assembly election as well, he added.
Full schedule of Assembly elections in J&K and Haryana
Supreme Court’s poll deadline
J&K voters last went to the polls to elect an Assembly in a five-phase exercise in November and December 2014. In June 2018, the BJP withdrew support to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led coalition government and the region was put under Governor’s rule. In August 2019, the Union government revoked J&K’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution, and split the State into two Union Territories.
While upholding the scrapping of Article 370 in 2023, the Supreme Court had directed that an Assembly election be held by September 30.
Asked why the poll body overshot the top court’s deadline, Mr. Kumar said the election was not delayed at all. He said that the ECI had taken several factors into consideration, including the weather, the December 2023 amendment to reserve seats for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and the Amarnath Yatra which is getting over on August 19.
J&K has 87.09 lakh voters, of which 44.46 lakh are men, and 42.62 lakh are women, while 3.71 lakh are first-timers. The first phase of voting will take place in 24 Assembly constituencies, while 26 seats will go to the polls in the second phase, and 40 seats in the third phase.
Haryana poll
In Haryana, 2.01 crore voters — including 1.06 crore men, 95 lakh women, and 4.52 lakh first-timers — will exercise their franchise in 90 Assembly constituencies.
The last day to file the nominations of Haryana is September 12, the date of scrutiny is September 13, and the date of withdrawal of candidatures is September 16. The current Haryana Assembly’s term ends on November 3.
In 2019, the BJP had won 40 of the 90 seats, and formed the Haryana government in alliance with the Jananayak Janta Party.
PTI adds:
Assembly elections to Maharashtra
Mr. Kumar said Assembly elections in Maharashtra, which were held along with Haryana in 2019, will be announced later due to security requirements for Jammu and Kashmir.
He said four elections are due this year and by early next year and since Jammu and Kashmir was not in the picture last time (2019-20) the Commission decided to group two Assembly elections together.
Besides Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, elections are due in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi.
Mr. Kumar said the next set of elections will be announced after the completion of the polls in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.
