Haryana polls on Oct 1, three-phase J&K elections from Sep 18, results on Oct 4
Assembly elections in Maharashtra, which were held along with Haryana in 2019, will be announced later due to specific security requirements for Jammu and Kashmir.
The Election Commission has announced that assembly elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases starting from September 18. This marks the first assembly election in the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, giving the people of the union territory the opportunity to elect a government after nearly a decade. Elections for the 90-member Haryana assembly are scheduled for October 1, with the results for both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana to be declared on October 4.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, announced the election dates during a press conference. Kumar mentioned that the elections in Maharashtra, which were held along with Haryana in 2019, will be announced later due to specific security requirements for Jammu and Kashmir. Besides Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, elections are due in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi. Next set of elections will be announced after the completion of the polls in Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana.
Kumar highlighted that four assembly elections are due this year and early next year. Since Jammu and Kashmir was not included in the previous election cycle (2019-20), the Commission decided to group two assembly elections together. In addition to Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, elections are also due in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi.
The three-phase elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The first phase will see 24 seats go to the polls, followed by 26 seats in the second phase, and 40 seats in the final phase.
The last assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in November-December 2014 in five phases. This election announcement follows the Supreme Court's directive to the Centre to hold the elections by September 30, 2024, after upholding the Centre’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
There are 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, comprising 74 General, nine Scheduled Tribe (ST), and seven Scheduled Caste (SC) seats. The total number of registered voters stands at 87.09 lakh.
Authorities, including Enforcement Agencies, District Magistrates (DMs), and Superintendents of Police (SPs), have been directed to ensure the elections are conducted in a free, fair, and inducement-free manner.
This election is significant as it marks the first assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade, following the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government in June 2018 when the BJP withdrew its support from then-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
In true spirit of keeping promises, here is a shorter electioneering period and in the best possible conducive weather. Schedule for Elections in J&K to be held in 3 phases : CEC Kumar pic.twitter.com/ck9tFVoFFD
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) August 16, 2024
