The Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajeev Kumar, announced that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections will take place in three phases starting September 18, with the final count scheduled for October 4. The phases will be held on September 18, September 25, and October 3. Kumar stated that the elections would be conducted within the shortest possible schedule as promised.
He detailed that Jammu and Kashmir has 90 Assembly constituencies, including 74 general, 7 Scheduled Castes, and 9 Scheduled Tribes seats. There are 87.9 lakh electors, with 44.46 lakh male and 42.36 lakh female voters. The final electoral rolls will be published on August 20, after the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra on August 19.
Kumar noted that there are 11,838 polling stations across the region, with 9,169 locations, and 360 model polling stations.
He mentioned a change in the security situation and increased political participation since the Lok Sabha elections, with a focus on enhancing democratic processes. Kumar highlighted that the enthusiasm seen during the Lok Sabha polls indicated a strong desire for democracy in the region, and that voters chose ballots over violence.
He added that every section of society should have a chance to participate in the elections and mentioned that provisions for migrant voters have been made, including self-attestation. Kumar also reported that the previous Lok Sabha elections were incident-free and noted the seizure of Rs 100 crore worth of drugs and liquor.
