The assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir for 2024 is takes place with over 2.3 million voters set to choose from 219 candidates, including 90 independents, for 24 constituencies. This is the first time in a decade that voters in the region will engage in elections, with the initial phase scheduled for Wednesday. As per the Election Commission of India, candidates are vying for seats in 24 assembly constituencies, comprising eight in three districts of the Jammu region and 16 in four districts of the Kashmir valley. To facilitate a smooth election process, the government has implemented extensive security measures. These measures include the deployment of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces, along with the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police and local police. This multi-layered security strategy aims to ensure order and safety during the voting period, as the region gears up for this important democratic event.
The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are occurring for the first time since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. The Election Commission of India has appointed 14,000 polling staff to oversee the voting process at 3,276 polling stations today. In this first phase, approximately 123,000 young voters aged 18 to 19, along with 28,309 individuals with disabilities and 15,774 senior citizens over 85 years old, are eligible to cast their votes. Notable candidates from the Kashmir region in this phase include Iltija Mufti from the PDP, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami from CPI (M), and Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Congress. Although the NC and Congress are allies, they have opted to field separate candidates in areas such as Banihal, Bhaderwah, and Doda. Additionally, NC leader Pyare Lal Sharma is running independently in Inderwal, while BJP candidates Rakesh Goswami and Suraj Singh Parihar are contesting in Ramban and Padder-Nagseni, respectively. In the Jammu region, key candidates include former ministers Sajjad Kitchloo (NC), Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Sunil Sharma (BJP), and independent Ghulam Mohammad Saroori.
There are a total of 302 polling stations in urban areas and 2,974 in rural regions, with each station staffed by four election officials, including one presiding officer. For the initial phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir, over 35,000 Kashmiri Pandits are set to participate. The Election Commission of India has streamlined the process for those who relocated from Kashmir to Jammu and Udhampur in the 1990s, making it easier for them to complete the necessary paperwork to vote and engage in the electoral process. Since June 2018, Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government after the Bharatiya Janata Party ended its alliance with the Peoples’ Democratic Party, resulting in Mehbooba Mufti’s resignation as chief minister. Among the 90 assembly constituencies in the region, 74 are for general candidates, nine are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and seven are designated for Scheduled Castes.
