Voting commenced on Wednesday for the first-ever assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir since its bifurcation in 2019 and the abrogation of Article 370. Phase 1 of the elections covers 24 constituencies across seven districts in the Union Territory, marking the first assembly poll in a decade. Tight security arrangements are in place, officials confirmed, as voters turned out from 7 a.m. to cast their ballots.
This election is the first in Jammu and Kashmir's Union Territory status, with the region having been divided into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, on August 5, 2019, following the removal of its special status under Article 370. In this phase, seven districts located on either side of the Pir Panjal mountain range are voting to elect their representatives.
A total of 23.27 lakh eligible voters, including 1.23 lakh youths aged 18 to 19, 28,309 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), and 15,774 elderly voters above 85 years old, will decide the fate of 219 candidates, 90 of whom are independents. These candidates are contesting for 24 assembly segments, with eight in Jammu region and 16 in Kashmir Valley.
The Election Commission has deployed 14,000 polling staff across 3,276 polling stations to oversee the process. To ensure a peaceful election, multi-tier security arrangements have been made, involving the Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF), Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police, and the J&K Police.
Polling for this first phase will conclude at 6 p.m., with two subsequent phases scheduled for September 25 and October 1. The vote count is slated for October 8, determining the assembly’s composition in the region following the historic changes in its political landscape.
