Srinagar: The Lok Sabha elections for Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday. According to the election schedule, voting in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in five phases, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.
The Lok Sabha seat polls in Jammu and Kashmir will follow this sequence: Udhampur on April 19, Jammu on April 26, Anantnag – Rajouri on May 7, Srinagar on May 13, and Baramulla on May 26.
Regarding Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar stated, "The Election Commission is committed to holding Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir soon after the Lok Sabha elections."
J&K, currently under President’s Rule, has not conducted an Assembly poll for six years but is expected to do so by September 30, in line with a Supreme Court order.
Mr Kumar informed reporters that the poll panel, after reviewing preparations for the Lok Sabha election in J&K, deemed it unfeasible to hold simultaneous central and state polls in the region due to security concerns. However, the panel is committed to holding an election there and will do so after the Lok Sabha poll.
“All parties in J&K said the Assembly election should be held with the parliamentary polls, but the entire administrative machinery said it cannot be done simultaneously. Every Assembly segment would have 10-12 candidates, which would mean more than 1,000 candidates. Every candidate has to be provided with forces. It was not possible," he said.
Since the revocation of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, there has been a increase of 11 lakh voters registered who can now vote during the elections in the erstwhile state.
Official reports indicate that in 2019, the total number of voters was 76 lakh, comprising 39.45 lakh men and 36.38 lakh women. By January 1, 2024, during the voter revision campaign initiated in 2023, the number of voters surged to more than 86 lakh, indicating an increase of around 11 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019.
In 2022, following the delimitation exercise, authorities allowed voting rights to any Indian citizen ‘living temporarily’ in Kashmir, citing approximately 25 lakh new voters on top of the existing 76 lakh voters – a staggering 30 per cent increase.
