Ahead of the first phase of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, electronic voting machines (EVMs) and polling personnel were dispatched on Tuesday to remote areas of Doda district, as well as to Ramban and Kishtwar districts
In the first phase, a total of 24 assembly constituencies will go to the polls—eight in the Jammu region and 16 in the Kashmir Valley. Over 23 lakh voters are set to decide the fate of 219 candidates, including 90 independents. According to the Election Commission (EC), 23,27,580 electors are eligible to vote in this phase, comprising 11,76,462 males, 11,51,058 females, and 60 third-gender electors.
The elections mark the first assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The first phase of voting is set for September 18, with the second phase on September 25 and the third on November 1. The votes will be counted on October 8.
On Monday, Congress leader Pawan Khera said that the Congress-National Conference alliance will restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“If you look at the track record of Congress in the last ten years, be it Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, wherever we have formed governments we have implemented our guarantees. People have faith in us,” Khera said.
Ram Madhav, BJP’s election in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, expressed optimism about the upcoming polls, saying that the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, and Congress would be rejected by the electorate.
(With ANI input)