First Assembly Elections in Nearly a Decade, as Union Territory
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has today announced the long-awaited schedule for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. The polls will be conducted in three phases, commencing on September 18, with the final results to be declared on October 4.
Key Dates:
First phase: September 18
Second phase: September 25
Third phase: October 1
Results declaration: October 4
The gazette notifications for the three phases will be issued on August 20, August 29, and September 9, respectively. Candidates can file their nominations until August 27 for the first phase, September 5 for the second, and September 12 for the final phase. This announcement follows a recent visit to the union territory by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. The decision to hold elections was foreshadowed by a large-scale reorganization in Jammu and Kashmir’s civil and police administration, along with several decisions made by the administrative council late Thursday and early Friday.
The upcoming elections mark a significant moment for Jammu and Kashmir, as they will be the first assembly polls in the region in nearly a decade. The last assembly was dissolved in June 2018 by then-Governor Satya Pal Malik, citing concerns of horse-trading. These elections also come in the wake of major constitutional changes in August 2019, when the central government abrogated Article 370 and 35A, leading to the bifurcation of the former state into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The ECI’s announcement has set the stage for a crucial democratic exercise in this strategically important region. Political parties and voters alike will be keenly watching as Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first assembly elections under its new status as a union territory.
