The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections 2024 on Tuesday. The polls will be held in three phases: the first on September 18, the second on September 25, and the third on October 1. This marks the first assembly elections in the region since 2014.
According to the ECI, there are 87.09 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir, including 42.6 lakh women, spread across 90 constituencies. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar assured that comprehensive security measures would be in place for all candidates, as requested by local political parties.
The election timeline includes the issuance of a gazette notification on September 9. Candidates must submit their nominations by September 12, with the scrutiny of nominations set for the following day. Voting will take place on October 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for that week on Friday.
The last assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014. The region has been without a functioning assembly since June 2018, when the PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed after the BJP withdrew its support from then-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
In December of the previous year, the Supreme Court directed the central government to complete the election process in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024. The ECI's recent visit, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, emphasized the commission's commitment to conducting the elections as soon as possible.
Earlier, National Conference (JKNC) Vice President Omar Abdullah had highlighted the urgency of holding early assembly elections in the region. He expressed hope for the announcement of election dates but noted that such announcements had been anticipated in the past without materializing.
The ECI is also expected to release the schedule for the Maharashtra legislative assembly elections soon.
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